Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt & Treats is celebrating a very strong finish to 2018 and continued success into 2019. Last year, Orange Leaf had two months of positive same store sales growth during the summer, ended the year with comp sales up 6% in December, and kicked off 2019 with comp sales up 4 percent in January.
“The positive same store sales are attributed to successfully executing on strategies focused around bold brand partnerships, enhancing high quality products and expanding off-premises sales through catering and mobile delivery,” says president & COO, Kendall Ware.
The 2018 summer sales were driven by the launch of a new flavor partnership with Jolly Rancher followed by their nationwide launch of real fruit smoothies and made-to-order shakes. “Our differentiator was being the first frozen yogurt franchise to offer two of Jolly Rancher’s most popular flavors as dairy-free froyo. Our Guests went crazy for it and our Franchise Partners are ready for us to bring it back,” says Ware. “We also learned that mandating smoothies and shakes was the right strategy to create more reasons for guests to visit more often and for different occasions.”
To combat one of the slowest months, December, Orange Leaf partnered with Dove to offer a Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato and gave away 4 tickets to Walt Disney World. The LTO flavor and ticket giveaway helped Orange Leaf break through the noise during the holiday season and achieve their best December yet.
In addition to flavor promotions, Orange Leaf focused on opportunities to increase off-premises sales through catering and mobile delivery. Through partnerships with multiple mobile delivery platforms and an online catering service, ezCater, Orange Leaf has created even more opportunities to drive sales. “Offering catering and mobile delivery in every store is a top priority for our brand as we see the positive impact it can make by increasing traffic and building brand awareness,” says Ware.
2019 is looking bright for Orange Leaf as they plan to launch new flavor and catering partnerships, enhanced store designs, new product LTOs, and provide co-brand opportunities.
