Nekter Juice Bar, a leading innovator of the modern juicing revolution with an appealing array of natural, fresh, and cold-pressed juices, smoothies, and acai bowls, announced plans to grow the concept to as many as 300 franchise and corporate locations during the next five years. The growth plan will leverage new product offerings, a strengthened infrastructure including enhanced operations, marketing, and employee training programs, and an updated restaurant design that all combine to create a heightened and engaging guest experience.
Nekter Juice Bar was founded in 2010 by Steve and Alexis Schulze with the goal of reinventing the juice bar concept by making it a modern, inspiring, lifestyle experience with affordable, accessible, and above all, great tasting menu offerings. Guests can choose from a wide range of menu items or can customize their choices to their specific needs.
The past five years have been spent perfecting the concept, developing and refining processes to enable successful expansion beyond the current 52 locations in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and Colorado. Nekter looks to fill in existing territories and strategically enter new markets in the United States.
“As consumers across the country continue to embrace healthy living, Nekter Juice Bar offers a healthy foundation of natural and fresh menu offerings at affordable prices that our guests can enjoy on a daily basis,” says Steve Schulze, cofounder and CEO, Nekter Juice Bar. “We were unwilling to compromise our standards for the sake of rapid growth, and have spent the past five years refining our model. We look forward to bringing ‘The Nekter Life’ to more communities in the U.S. and welcome franchise partners, who are as passionate as we are about inspiring others to live more healthful lives.”
Nekter’s expansion plans leverage a continual shift toward wellness among consumers today. According to a 2015 report by industry analyst, IBISWorld, the juice and smoothie industry topped $2.3 billion in revenues in 2015 with an expected annual growth rate of 2 percent during the next five years. Nekter’s franchisees reported an average unit volume (AUV) of $884,795, per the company’s 2015 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
Guests are increasingly incorporating Nekter’s offerings into their daily regimens as meal replacements or nutritional supplements, and are frequenting the restaurants more throughout each of the breakfast, lunch, and dinner dayparts.
“The team at Nekter continues to exceed our expectations with absolute transparency, ongoing innovation, and strategic focus,” says Gina Wendt, a Nekter Juice Bar franchisee. “They are 100 percent committed to developing and maintaining strong and mutually beneficial relationships with their franchisees and this has made all the difference in our continuing success.”
Nekter has invested strategically in marketing and training programs to prepare for growth. The company debuted an immersive website in January and is on track to launch a broad digital initiative this spring that will support an enhanced guest experience. “Many of our guests are always on the go and our new digital program will better enhance the guest experience by accommodating their busy lifestyles,” Schulze says.
