Fast-Growing Smoothie Chain Plans to Triple Its Footprint In Key U.S. Region
Between all of the chain restaurants and local gems spread throughout the United States, it would be a serious understatement to say that Americans already have a lot of places to eat nowadays. However, the dining options are about to get even more plentiful in one key area of the country as a thriving smoothie chain plans to significantly expand its footprint.
Smoothie King, which specializes in smoothies and smoothie bowls, just announced a new agreement that will see it open seven new stores in Las Vegas. The agreement is significant because Smoothie King currently operates just three locations in the area, so the new openings will more than triple its presence in the market.
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Longtime restaurant operator Na'im Muhammad will develop three of the new stores, while new franchisees Brandie and Dustin Rasmussen will oversee the other four.
"These new stores build upon the development momentum we set out to achieve for 2024 and we're really proud to grow in this key market and provide delicious, better-for-you smoothies to our guests in the community," Chris Bremer, Smoothie King's chief development officer, said in a statement. "We welcome our new franchisees to the Smoothie King family and look forward to forging a successful partnership together through these new stores."
According to a press release, the first of the seven new Las Vegas locations is expected to open as early as late 2024. The timeline for the other six upcoming openings was not specified.
These new opening plans come on the heels of an extremely successful year for the chain. Smoothie King CEO Wan Kim announced via press release in February that the chain saw "the highest sales period in our 50-year history" during the third quarter of 2023 and "one of our largest new development quarters in seven years" during the fourth quarter.
The chain added 189 additional new stores to its growth plans in 2023, with some locations slated to debut in new markets like Utah, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Smoothie King said it plans to open 100 new locations in 2024 alone. The chain currently operates more than 1,350 shops across the globe, including more than 1,100 in the United States.
Smoothie King isn't the only smoothie chain that plans to grow at a rapid pace moving forward. Tropical Smoothie Cafe announced in January that it scored 258 franchise agreements in 2023, "providing a robust pipeline of growth for the years ahead." Additionally, the smoothie chain said it opened 176 new stores across the country last year.
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