Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading handcrafted smoothie, açaí bowl and raw juice chains, announced that 2022 was another successful year for the 27-year-old brand. 2022 was marked by a 6.2% increase in Total System Sales (TSS) compared to 2021, including five weeks of record-breaking sales throughout the year, building on the remarkable momentum the brand has experienced since 2019. Juice It Up!’s franchisee Average Unit Volume (AUV) has soared more than 50% over the past three years and the company has also significantly ramped up expansion efforts as it remains committed to doubling its unit count to approximately 200 locations in the next four years.
“Juice It Up!’s total team focus in 2022 on growing franchisee sales and profitability along with new unit count expansion paved the way for us to achieve industry leading multi-year AUV growth and to bring our popular smoothies, juices, and superfruit bowls to more markets and consumers than ever before,” says Chris Britt, Co-Chairman and Co-Owner of Juice It Up! “2021 was such an amazing year for the brand, and we knew that 2022 presented a unique opportunity for us to seize the moment, maintain our momentum, and push forward to reach even greater heights.”
Juice It Up! added nine new California locations to its rising store count in 2022, proudly opening its doors in Palmdale, Madera, Colton, Santa Clarita, Claremont, Santa Maria, Perris, Fresno, and Highland. Ending the year with 86 locations, the brand currently has more than two dozen new locations in development, including several multi-unit development deals inked in 2022. Among the new agreements, a three-store deal in Bakersfield, California, and a twelve-store deal throughout Northern California, will bolster the brand’s footprint in its home state. Separately, a new two-store deal also signed in 2022 will grow the brand’s presence in neighboring Arizona.
“As we focused on growing our brand in 2022 with a concentrated effort on franchise development and new territories, we were able to capitalize on the significant upward trajectory we established the year before, and the goal of 200 stores by 2027 remains in our sights – much closer than ever before,” adds Ed St. Geme, Co-Chairman and Co-Owner of Juice It Up!
Beyond development activities and franchise growth, Juice It Up!’s successful year was marked by notable sales growth. Impressive digital sales, which grew by nearly 16% in 2022, contributed significantly to Juice It Up!’s overall sales increase. Digital sales were powered by the launch of a new website and the debut of online ordering capabilities. Digital sales accounted for 21% of total sales in 2022. Complementing the brand’s increase in digital sales, Juice It Up!’s loyalty program also saw a significant jump, with membership rising 34% compared to 2021.
Menu innovation also played a central role in fueling Juice It Up!’s success throughout 2022. The brand launched an array of popular limited-time offers during the year, including seven new-to-menu items. The 12 LTOs introduced in 2022, which reinforced the brand’s enduring reputation for blending impressive flavor with important functionality, included The Greentox Smoothie, Tropical Immuni-C Bowl, Mighty-C Immunity Juice, Açaí Berry Smoothie, Chocolate Dipped Açaí Smoothie, Sandía Loca Bowl, Sandía Loca Smoothie, Pumpkin Brew Smoothie, Pumpkin Pleaser, Horchata Smoothie, PB Horchata Smoothie, and Blue Horchata Smoothie.
“If 2023 is anything like 2022, which we expect will be our reality, Juice It Up! is going to experience another amazing year, especially since every one of our annual initiatives are designed with careful and focused intentionality to maintain brand momentum – then build on it,” says Susan Taylor, President and CEO of Juice It Up! “2022 was a year of exciting changes, including new franchise partners, locations, menu items and guests who discovered Juice It Up! for the first time. As we enter 2023, we remain excited for what’s ahead, especially for the ongoing success that we believe is a natural byproduct of the strong brand that our franchise owners and support team continue to build and evolve.”
As Juice It Up! continued to experience an exciting year across development, sales and product categories, the brand racked up more industry recognition and acclaim for its many impressive efforts and achievements. Juice It Up! was recognized as one of America’s Favorite Restaurant Chains by Newsweek for the second consecutive year, and was one of only 10 chains in the extremely competitive “Juices & Smoothies” category.
The brand’s ownership and leadership team continue to pursue development with new and existing franchise partners in California, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon, Nevada and throughout the Western U.S. With a proven franchise business model carefully sculpted over the past 27 years, record sales and brand momentum, Juice It Up! is looking to partner with passionate single, multi-unit and multi-brand franchisees who are interested in joining a highly recognizable, successful and market-leading healthy fast casual concept.
