Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading raw juice bar and hand-crafted smoothie franchises, announced it wrapped up 2016 with same store sales (SSS) up 7 percent over the previous year and its average unit volume was up 4 percent over 2015. This marks the fourth consecutive growth quarter for the brand, despite reports of significant declines across the restaurant industry as a whole.
The 5 percent SSS increase experienced in Q4, over the previous year, is a result of a variety of factors including the much-anticipated return of a seasonal fan favorite, the Pumpkin Pleaser Smoothie along with the new Pumpkin Pleaser Smoothie Bowl. In addition, a system-wide gift card campaign, with 10 percent of all gift card purchases donated to the non-profit, No Kid Hungry, created a heartfelt call-to-action which led to greater sales. Also, attributing to the strong financials were the seven new franchised locations that opened in 2016, bringing the chain wide total to 88 units operating across four states.
“Today’s consumers are skeptical of fad diets and quick fixes, and are more interested in healthy choices that can easily be incorporated into their everyday lives,” says Frank Easterbrook, Juice It Up! CEO. “For us, raw juicing was never just a trend, and our consistent growth along with today’s thriving segment proves that millions of Americans feel the same way. We love that both our guests and franchise partners are hugely benefitting as consumers invest in living healthier lifestyles.”
To kick off 2017, Juice It Up! launched its line of cold-pressed bottled juices, made from locally sourced, organic ingredients, to add yet another revenue stream for franchisees and an extra level of convenience and healthy choices for guests. With a franchisee-focused culture, Juice It Up! continues to attract highly-qualified franchise operators to grow with the brand. Ideal franchisees possess an entrepreneurial spirit, a creative local store marketing mindset, and are passionate about living a healthy lifestyle.