Smoothie King – the leading health and fitness-focused U.S. smoothie franchise with 1,195 global locations – announced at the beginning of August that it has maintained a steady development pace since the start of the year, opening 31 new domestic locations and 119 international locations while also signing 38 U.S. franchise agreements. The brand expects to open a total of 80 new U.S. locations by the end of 2020.
Despite the pandemic, Smoothie King is rebounding at an impressive rate, experiencing a 14-percent system wide sales jump year-over-year for July. This includes the brand’s 400-plus drive-thru locations, which are averaging a 26-percent increase for the month versus 2019 sales data. Similarly, in June, Smoothie King’s franchisee in Greenwood, Ind., set an opening-week sales record at their new location – recording $45,759 in total sales.
This year, Smoothie King has added new locations in markets like Washington D.C., San Antonio, Tucson, and Louisville. Additionally, the 38 signed-and-accepted franchise agreements are projected to produce 41 future locations and includes 12 new franchisees.
Smoothie King Korea also opened 119 new stores during the first seven months of 2020. These were predominantly a new-store format opened in EMart24 convenience stores.
The company also launched online ordering for in-store pickup, curbside, an exclusive delivery partnership with DoorDash, and a new Immune Builder® smoothie flavor; donated $1,000,000 in smoothies to essential workers and workplaces nationwide; and working with Under Armour to provide premium fitness content to loyalty guests.