--- title: "Backed by Recent Franchise Agreements, Smoothie King Aims to Make 2016 Strongest Year Yet" url: https://burnaze.com/article/12920dce-18cc-444c-ada3-cc86b2b503bc source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/backed-by-recent-franchise-agreements-smoothie-king-aims-to-make-2016-strongest-year-yet-4987 category: "Beverage & juice" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Beverage & juice" published: 2016-06-20T22:17:23.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T04:15:13.223Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/848c07a6334ae25a5a57c0ab863eae136336160620175723.jpeg --- # Backed by Recent Franchise Agreements, Smoothie King Aims to Make 2016 Strongest Year Yet **TL;DR:** Smoothie King aims to make 2016 its strongest year yet, with a positive increase in same-store sales and 27 franchise agreements yielding 50 new stores. The brand has signed four major area development agreements and opened more than 20 new stores in 11 states. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-06-20. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/backed-by-recent-franchise-agreements-smoothie-king-aims-to-make-2016-strongest-year-yet-4987).* ## Key facts - Smoothie King had positive same store sales growth in Q1 2016 - Four major area development agreements were signed - 78 agreements to develop 152 new units were signed in 2015 ## Story Long before smoothies became mainstream, Smoothie King was hard at work creating their own category—one where health and nutrition matter just as much as flavor and convenience. That’s a blend of attributes that Smoothie King CEO Wan Kim feels strongly positions the global chain for significant growth in an increasingly competitive niche. So far, the growth seen during the brand’s first quarter of 2016 is a good indicator that Kim’s vision is right on track. From January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016, Smoothie King boasted a positive increase in same store sales. The innovative purveyors of “Smoothies With A Purpose®” also inked 27 agreements—deals that will yield an additional 50 stores in the brand’s growing 780 unit system. “At Smoothie King, we’ve always been proud to truly exemplify what we say with what we do—and that’s building an extraordinary purpose-driven brand that’s an integral part in inspiring healthy and active lifestyles,” Kim said. “As we close out another successful quarter with impressive same-store sales, I feel strongly that 2016 will be another landmark year for Smoothie King. We’re poised to inspire more people than ever before to lead a healthy and active lifestyle.” ## Franchise agreements signed Fueling the brand’s growth are four major area development agreements. During the first quarter, new multi-unit area development agreements were signed for Chicago, as well as other expansion in markets in both the Eastern and Western U.S. Smoothie King also opened more than 20 new stores in 11 states in the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest. “As nutrition increasingly becomes a more important part in consumers’ lives, Smoothie King continues to set a new bar for the way we think about our food. The number of openings and signings the brand experienced in top development markets during the first quarter of 2016 says a lot—people are in need of a quick meal option they can feel good about,” said Tom O’Keefe, Smoothie King’s chief operations officer. The demand for Smoothie King is not only evident in their ongoing development strides, but in their recent widespread consumer praise, too. In April, Smoothie King was voted the No. 1 brand in the Limited-Service Restaurant Beverage-Snack category in the 2016 edition of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Consumer Picks issue. To win the title, Smoothie King beat out brands like Krispy Kreme, Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. ## Recent growth and accolades All of Smoothie King’s recent accolades come after a successful 2015, during which the brand signed a total of 78 agreements to develop 152 new units—this marked the sixth consecutive year of impressive growth. But judging by the success they’ve already seen in 2016, this is just the beginning for Smoothie King. “What makes our brand so unique is a team that is focused on expansion. Reaching new markets and new guests are what we do every day to ensure we achieve our vision: to be an integral part of every health and fitness plan,” Kim said. “This first quarter of 2016 puts Smoothie King on track to have 1,000 open locations globally by 2017.” ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Restaurants (sector) - unit expansion (topic) - Nation's Restaurant News (publication) - brand growth (topic) - Starbucks (company) - franchise agreements (topic) - Smoothie King (company) - same store sales (topic) - Dunkin' Donuts (company) - Krispy Kreme (company) - Wan Kim (person) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/backed-by-recent-franchise-agreements-smoothie-king-aims-to-make-2016-strongest-year-yet-4987). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/12920dce-18cc-444c-ada3-cc86b2b503bc).