Smoothie King Franchises, the premier smoothie and nutritional lifestyle center, announced it is targeting St. Louis for franchise expansion.
To fuel development, Smoothie King is offering candidates 40 percent off its initial franchise fee for the first 40 agreements of 2013—a savings of $10,000.
Since the start of the year, nine new franchisees have taken advantage of the latest incentive program, in addition to 38 existing franchisees that have committed to opening their additional units this year.
“Smoothie King continues to experience tremendous growth, with 27 new U.S. openings planned through July 2013,” says Smoothie King global CEO Wan Kim. “We are confident that our brand has great potential for further development in St. Louis and look forward to building a stronger presence in the area.”
The New Orleans–based smoothie chain has eight stores in St. Louis and plans to develop an additional 25 locations in the market over the next five years.
The company’s executive team will also host a Discovery Day on May 2 in St. Louis to share the benefits of opening a Smoothie King with potential franchisees.
“Smoothie King offers a unique business opportunity to satisfy St. Louis’ health-conscious consumers,” says Jeremy Kubicek, St. Louis Smoothie King multiunit franchisee.
“When we first joined the company in 2008, many local business owners were financially struggling due to the recession, but our smoothie business remained in high demand,” he adds. “In fact, with the support of Smoothie King’s proven business model and dedicated development team, we have successfully grown our portfolio during these challenging economic times.”
Smoothie King plans to add 1,000 new franchised and corporate locations domestically over the next five years. Even with more than 500 locations in the U.S., the brand still has extensive smoothie franchise opportunities available in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast regions, as well as Texas.
International development includes master franchise and corporate expansion in Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia, with 50 new stores planned in South Korea and 10 in Singapore in 2013.
Franchisees should possess a passion for the brand and be dedicated to serving the community. While restaurant experience is not required, the ideal candidate for the smoothie franchise should have an entrepreneurial spirit, as well as sales, marketing, restaurant, and/or retail experience.
