Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading handcrafted smoothie, raw juice and açaí and superfruit bowl chains, generated strong sales gains in the first half of 2024, with same-store sales up nearly 7.0% and total system sales up 9.0%. The brand opened three new locations in the first half of the year, debuting in Long Beach, Bakersfield and Reedley, California, with another nine locations on track to open this year. With 30+ locations in the development pipeline, Juice It Up! is set to reach its 100-location milestone by the end of 2024, setting the brand on pace to surpass its 200-unit goal by 2028.

“As we look ahead to the second half of the year, we’re pleased to see 2024 off to such a strong start with sales, menu innovation and franchise development firing on all cylinders,” said Susan Taylor, President and CEO of Juice It Up! “We’ve proudly earned a stellar reputation among guests, franchisees and industry peers for our longstanding commitment to delicious, functional and flavorful menu offerings – and most importantly, for offering an attractive multi-unit and multi-brand franchise opportunity for new franchisees and experienced multi-unit operators. These ideals underpin our initiatives for the remainder of the year and beyond as we enter new markets, reach new guests and prepare to celebrate our 30th year in business in 2025.”

A proud Juice It Up! hallmark for nearly three decades, product innovation made strong contributions to its successful first half of 2024, with the brand rolling out several limited-time menu items that resonated with super fans and guests alike. In Q1, Juice It Up! brought back its popular Berry-Lavender Smoothie and launched The Bluetox Smoothie, a uniquely formulated, nutrient-packed blend that highlighted spirulina’s health benefits and iconic blue hue. The Bluetox Smoothie quickly ascended to the top spot in the brand’s plant-based smoothie category. As Q2 began, Juice It Up! celebrated Açaí Month in April by introducing the Protein Açaí Smoothie alongside the return of its popular Chocolate Dipped Açaí Smoothie, continuing the brand’s trailblazing partnership with SAMBAZON açaí, which has spanned more than two decades. Also, in Q2, Juice It Up! debuted a line of Delightful Blends—lower calorie beverages available in Mango Lychee, Blueberry Pomegranate and Strawberry Guava. Impressively, the Delightful Blends ranked third among the brand’s classic smoothies and accounted for more than 10% of category sales. Obviously popular with Juice It Up! guests, each Delightful Blend was made with coconut water to boost hydration through naturally occurring electrolytes like potassium and magnesium – and was an excellent source of vitamin C.

“We are extremely happy to close the first half of 2024 with exceptionally strong sales, growing average unit volumes and a promising franchise development outlook – all of which are key to the foundation we’ve established for continued success and growth,” said Chris Britt, Co-Chairman and Co-Owner of Juice It Up! “We are well positioned to maintain this momentum through the second half of the year, including testing several new food and snack items along with a more expansive approach to our açaí and superfruit bowl category, both of which are terrific growth opportunities for our franchise system.”

“We could not be more excited about the sizeable opportunity in front of us in development, including plans to expand our footprint aggressively in new markets across the U.S. and reach the 100-store milestone before year’s end,” added Ed St. Geme, Co-Chairman and Co-Owner of Juice It Up!.

Committed to doubling its unit count to approximately 200 locations within the next four years, Juice It Up! has recently seen a significant uptick in interest among franchise partners in Central and Northern California, and in several states outside of California, including Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas. In fact, the brand signed four new development deals in 2024’s first half, including exciting new opportunities in Arizona and Oklahoma. The brand currently operates 90 locations in five Western states, with more than 30 new stores in its development pipeline. Notably, two-thirds of the pipeline is with existing franchisees, and one-third with new partners.

With a proven franchise business model spanning nearly 30 years, plus strong sales, menu innovation and brand momentum, Juice It Up! is experiencing strong interest from passionate single, multi-unit and multi-brand franchisees interested in joining a highly recognizable, successful and market-leading franchise concept. This interest extends not only to the five states where the brand currently operates, but also into new states such as Nevada, Utah and Oklahoma, the latter of which will see its Juice It Up! debut early next year.

Beverage, Finance, Franchising, Growth, News, Juice It Up