Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading smoothie, raw juice bar and hand-crafted smoothie bowl chains, announced it ended its fiscal year 2017 with same store sales (SSS) up 4 percent and average unit volume (AUV) up 1 percent over 2016. This marks the second consecutive year of positive sales for the brand, further solidifying Juice It Up! as a key player in the highly competitive raw juice and smoothie segment.
Juice It Up’s Q4 success can be attributed to the brand’s growth initiatives and exciting new offerings introduced over the past year. Juice It Up! has long been a leader in product innovation, remaining at the vanguard of functional nutrition and continuing to introduce unique ingredients and trending flavor profiles that keep guests coming back. In 2017 alone, the brand launched several new offerings including a Chili Lime Mango Smoothie, a Turmeric Raw Fusion and a Peanut Butter Protein Açaí Bowl, as well as bringing back seasonal favorites like the Pumpkin Pleaser. Along with new product launches, the brand’s strong financials can be credited to new store openings, in both new and existing markets.
Additionally, a comprehensive remodel program is underway to incorporate the company’s new transparent prototype design into existing locations, which features an increased focus on the bowl category. The new design, which has been rolling out to select stores in phases, now brings production of Juice It Up!’s three mainline products, raw juices, smoothies and bowls, right in front of the customers, which builds trust, and ultimately increases brand loyalty and store revenues.
“Juice It Up! performed tremendously in 2017, due in large part to the creations dreamt up by our fantastic R&D team and fulltime nutritionist, who develop each new product with an equal focus on functionality and taste,” says Carol DeNembo, Juice It Up!’s vice president of business development. “We’ve also placed more importance on nutritional education, and transparency, enabling our guest to make the best choices based on their specific wants and needs. It is important that we show every customer exactly what is going into their products, and how their products are prepared, especially in this age of food safety concerns. These changes have helped to strengthen Juice It Up!’s position as a lifestyle brand while continuing to gain consumer confidence.”
With over 100 locations currently open and in development across California, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Florida, Juice It Up! is awarding a variety of franchise opportunities that include area development, single unit, and non-traditional store fronts such as college campuses, airports, mall kiosks, convenience stores and gyms. Ideal franchisees possess an entrepreneurial spirit, a creative local store marketing mindset, and are passionate about living a healthy lifestyle.
Continues DeNembo, “2018 will be an even bigger year of growth for Juice It Up! as we open our doors in new markets and continue building momentum in the thriving raw juice and smoothie space.”
