Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading handcrafted smoothie, superfruit bowl and raw juice chains, is proud to report record sales in 2021, with same store sales (SSS) up 26.3% over 2020. Total system sales (TSS) also climbed to a record level last year, increasing 29.2% over 2020 and surpassing $41 million – a new all-time high for the 26-year-old chain.
Rounding out the brand’s stellar 2021 sales gains, AUV grew 18% over the same prior-year period. AUV for the top 25% of Juice It Up! locations impressively reached $854,667 while the top 50% finished 2021 with an AUV of $730,339.
“2021 was an extraordinary year for Juice It Up! as more and more consumers continued to make important lifestyle choices fueled by their health and wellness goals; and we’re extremely proud to have contributed positively to the lives of our guests,” says Susan Taylor, President and CEO of Juice It Up! “In addition to an increase in consumer demand for more functional food and beverage options, our exceptional sales growth in 2021 is a testament to the focus of our devoted franchisees and their dedicated store teams who work tirelessly every day to deliver our brand promise.”
Juice It Up! sales in 2021 were buoyed by remarkable customer loyalty growth, which increased by 57%. Among the brand’s loyalty members, orders placed via Juice It Up!’s mobile app outpaced in-store orders 51% to 49%, signaling a significant digital uptick. In fact, digital orders in 2021 grew by more than 70% to account for 19.26% of all orders – nearly twice the rate in 2020 – which amounted to 11.26% of sales. Juice It Up!’s engaging and user-friendly mobile app with “skip-the-line” order-ahead functionality, plus appealing new rewards and perks for loyalty members, helped to drive loyalty growth and sales last year. Also key to driving 2021 sales, expanded third-party delivery partnerships with Door Dash, Postmates and GrubHub conveniently allowed Juice It Up! fans to enjoy their Juice It Up! favorites wherever they were.
As has been the case for more than 25 years, product innovation continued to keep Juice It Up! well-positioned at the forefront of a competitive industry in 2021 with menu items catering to – and resonating strongly with – fans seeking both flavor and functionality. The brand brought 10 amazing limited-time offers to consumers last year – eight of which were new, including the Supercharger Juice, Mighty-C Immunity Juice, Mighty-C Immunity Shot, Acai Berry Smoothie, Chocolate Dipped Acai Smoothie, Limeade Smoothie, Blueberry Limeade Smoothie, the Ginger Chai Chiller Smoothie and the Horchata Smoothie and Bowl. 2021 also brought with it significant growth in all Juice It Up! menu categories – most significantly Specialty Smoothies seeing 45% year-over-year growth – and Bowls, which grew 38% in year-over-year units sold.
Taylor adds, “Now more than ever, with the brand’s momentum and sales growth at record highs, there has never been a better time to invest in Juice It Up!, and we’re looking for franchise partners who are ready to leverage the many unique opportunities now presenting themselves.”
After signing 11 franchise agreements last year, Juice It Up! expects to open 13 new stores in California and the West in 2022, including its first drive-thru store and several non-traditional units, and will continue expanding its remodel program to update existing stores to its refreshed new store design. Juice It Up! remains committed to doubling its unit count to approximately 200 locations in the next five years and currently has nearly 20 locations under development including plans to enter Arizona.
The brand’s leadership team has identified attractive trade areas throughout the West, and real estate opportunities are abundant due to the unfortunate impact on restaurants that still linger from the pandemic.