Jamba announced the signing of one of its largest franchise agreements since rebranding in June. As part of the agreement, Dustin King, a third-generation millennial franchisee will open 16 Jamba locations—many of which will be cobranded with Auntie Anne’s. King will spearhead Jamba’s growth in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. A former Coastal Carolina baseball player, King currently owns more than 35 Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon and Carvel locations in various states across the country.
“It’s been an exciting couple of months at Jamba, since we announced changes to our branding, menu and store design in early June,” says Geoff Henry, president of Jamba. “We were confident that our evolution would resonate with current and prospective franchisees and we’re excited to welcome Dustin to the Jamba family. Dustin has a long history with FOCUS Brands and we know that his expertise will help our brand grow in key markets.”
As chief operating officer of SE Co-Brand Ventures, LLC, King has already opened the first four Jamba and Auntie Anne’s cobranded locations in Nashville, TN; Myrtle Beach, SC; Concord, NC; and Pineville, NC. King is set to open in Columbia, SC and Knoxville, TN in the fall.
“My family has been franchising for several decades and I’ve been operating Auntie Anne’s locations since 2009, so I have a long history with FOCUS Brands,” said King. “When I first began learning of Jamba’s plans to evolve, I immediately envisioned myself partnering with that brand in some capacity. The fast casual smoothie and juice category is set to explode and I’m looking forward to working with the industry leader.”
Jamba currently has more than 800 locations in 36 states and is part of FOCUS Brands, the franchisor for Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli, Schlotzsky’s Austin Eatery and Carvel. SE Co-Brand Ventures, LLC and all franchisees in the Jamba system have the ability to use FOCUS Brands’ shared services including marketing, real estate, technology and more to help them successfully launch and operate their restaurants. FOCUS Brands added Jamba to its growing portfolio in September 2018.
Jamba is aggressively rolling out its new store design and has franchise opportunities available throughout several key markets. The global lifestyle brand is actively seeking individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit who possess enthusiasm about the brand, marketing skills and the ability to manage a strong team.
