Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading handcrafted smoothie, superfruit bowl and raw juice chains, announced that 2022 is shaping up to be another impressive year for the 27-year old brand, including reinvigorated franchise growth. Juice It Up! ended the first half of 2022 with 84 locations in various markets, having opened five new locations since the beginning of 2022. The brand remains committed to doubling its unit count to approximately 200 locations in the next four years and currently has more than 30 new locations in the pipeline for development. Juice It Up! recently signed four new franchise agreements, including a multi-unit deal in Bakersfield, that accounts for a total of six new stores in development.
“Among a host of initiatives to grow our brand, franchise development continues to be a major focus for Juice It Up! this year as we remain committed to bringing our popular smoothies, juices and superfruit bowls to new markets – and new guests – throughout the West,” says Chris Britt and Ed St. Geme, the co-chairmen and principal owners of Juice It Up!. “As 2022 begins its second act, the first half of the year has been a great success in the quest to expand our footprint, and we’re fortunate for the consummate hard work and dedication of our many franchise partners who continue to embrace new business initiatives including our remodel program to update existing stores to a bright, sleek and refreshed store design.”
Record-breaking sales last year catapulted Juice It Up! into 2022, and the smoothie and juice chain has successfully maintained the momentum through the first half of the year. Despite going head-to-head against last year’s tremendous sales performance, year-to-date total system sales (TSS) have increased 7% as the first half of 2022 ended, and digital sales improved 8% over the same prior-year period. Even more, Juice It Up! experienced several weekly sales records in the first half, and AUV continues to grow significantly – increasing 50% since 2019.
Constantly delivering on the brand promise to provide guests with an unmatched product experience blending flavor with function, menu innovation also helped power Juice It Up! to a strong first-half performance. The brand proudly brought back its limited-edition, fan-favorite Açaí Berry Smoothie and the Chocolate Dipped Açaí Smoothie in Q2. Combined, both smoothie sales accounted for 17% of the Specialty smoothie category with the Açaí Berry Smoothie ranking #4 overall. The entire Specialty smoothie category has grown 22% over the past year, indicating that new and exciting smoothies continue to fuel customer demand.
“Our many successes are byproducts of our efforts, and our efforts are underpinned by our motto to Live Life Juiced, which also is a call to action for our valued guests, so we remain dedicated to providing them with delicious options that help fuel their active lifestyle,” says Susan Taylor, Juice It Up! President and CEO. “Research and ingenuity by our nutritionist-certified R&D team shows that the Specialty smoothie category continues to grow as more and more customers become drawn to our nutritious offerings, and as we strive for a successful second half of the year, we will continue to leverage our talents in food science and menu innovation to deliver smoothies, juices and bowls that appeal to our most discerning of guests.”
