After a strong first quarter which brought an impressive 18 percent same-store sales increase year-over-year, the brand reported an equally extraordinary second quarter of 2021 — setting another company record with 34 percent same-store sales increase. Additionally, the world’s largest smoothie brand continues to build significant momentum, inking agreements through the first half of the year that will yield 110 new stores.
“Seeing our brand continue to break new ground with same-store sales growth while expanding into new markets demonstrates how powerful our mission and vision are when it comes to our long-term development strategy,” said Wan Kim, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Smoothie King. “Everyone has witnessed how important it is to live a healthy and active lifestyle for overall quality of life, and we’re seeing an increasing number of people embrace Smoothie King as a key feature of their fitness journeys. That’s having a tangible impact on our growth.”
Smoothie King opened 37 total locations in Q2 2021, bringing the number of openings to 71 for the year thus far. Of those 37 openings, 16 of them were international locations, specifically South Korea. Smoothie King now boasts 1,347 total stores worldwide.
Over 900 Smoothie King franchisees, corporate team members and vendors gathered for the brand’s first in-person annual conference since June 2019.
Despite a challenging 2020, Smoothie King recognized a record-setting 21 stores that achieved more than $1 million in annual sales last year at the brand’s conference held at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, TX in June. Over 130 stores joined the King’s Club, which are stores that represent the top 15 percent systemwide and showcase the strength of Smoothie King’s business model.
The convention emphasized several important steps Smoothie King is taking to help franchisees attain higher average unit volumes through operational efficiencies, by embracing new technologies and with continued dedication to its mission and vision.
The smoothie brand revealed a new store prototype that aims to build transparency with guests by showcasing the whole fruits and organic veggies that go into each masterfully crafted blend.
“With all of the changes we have made with our Clean Blends initiative we are now showcasing our ingredients. The new store design opens up our kitchen to our guests and reinforces our mission to inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle. There are new bold colors and lifestyle graphics to inspire our guests,” says Kevin King, Chief Business Development Officer.
Smoothie King also launched the use of tablet devices for drive-thru ordering to help move guests through the lane more efficiently. Meanwhile, there is testing underway with digital in-store signage that will notify guests and third-party delivery drivers of the status of each order, whether the smoothie was ordered in-store or online for pickup or delivery. The brand anticipates faster, more accurate and friendlier service to translate into even stronger unit-level performance.
In addition to the key announcements made at conference, the brand also recognized some of its top performing franchisees including:
- Franchisee of the Year – Hope and Andy Mouhot (Memphis, TN)
- Developer of the Year – Northern Blends Holding (Michigan and Ohio)
- Top Overall Sales – Heather Knight-Billeaud (Lafayette, LA)
- Top Enhancer & Extra Sales – Justin Specht (Ocala, FL)
Smoothie King’s franchise growth wasn’t the only notable achievement thus far in 2021. The company also inked a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Dallas Cowboys in May, making it the official smoothie of the Dallas Cowboys as part of a new seven-year partnership. The deal opens the door for Smoothie King to work closely with the team for future developments that will excite Cowboys fans and Smoothie King guests alike.
Looking toward the remaining half of the year, Smoothie King is looking for qualified franchise candidates to expand in markets like Denver, Cleveland, Phoenix and New York.
“The first half of the year has been filled with continued improvement in unit-level performance, significant growth, strategic partnerships and strong recognition within the restaurant industry — demonstrating our brand’s momentum and supporting our purpose-driven mission of inspiring people to live healthy and active lifestyles,” says Kim.
