Sarasota marked for smoothie franchise expansion

SARASOTA — The Sarasota market is one of eight spots nationwide Smoothie King corporate executives have marked for franchise expansion.

The company, according to a statement, signed eight area development agreements with new and existing franchisees that will lead to 28 new stores. Three of those locations will be in Sarasota, the company says, while five are coming to Tallahassee. The other markets with new agreements are Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Jackson, Miss., New Haven, Conn., and Wichita, Kan. New Orleans-based Smoothie King Franchises Inc. says it's now sold more than 100 locations in 2013.

“Smoothie King's aggressive expansion is driven by our impressive results, a strong indication of the growing demand from consumers for our high-quality smoothies, vitamins, supplements and healthy snacks,” Tom O'Keefe, Smoothie King president and chief operating officer, says in the statement. “Smoothie King has been incredibly well-received across the Midwest and Northeast, and we are confident the brand has great potential for further development. We look forward to building a stronger presence in these areas, in addition to introducing our healthy products to consumers in Chicago, Connecticut and Tallahassee for the first time.”

The first Smoothie King store opened in 1973, and the company launched a franchise program in 1989. The company now has more than 600 locations in 32 states, the Caymans, Singapore and Korea. It plans to add 1,000 new franchised and corporate locations in the U.S. over the next five years.