Chinese Business Group Chooses SMOOTHIE FACTORY Brand for Global Expansion

By: Smoothie Factory | 43 Shares 345 Reads

February 10, 2010 // Franchising.com // DALLAS, TX-- The Smoothie Factory, Inc. ("Smoothie Factory") has signed a master franchise agreement with Zhang Shengjun, a prominent businessman in China, for development of SMOOTHIE FACTORY stores throughout China, Hong Kong and Macao. The signing of this agreement marks the continuing expansion of the SMOOTHIE FACTORY System throughout Southeast Asia.

"The timing is right for expansion into the Chinese market where educated consumers are rapidly embracing healthy lifestyles and increasingly seeking to enhance their long term health and quality of life. Affiliating with a group that share our passion for health & wellness, is sufficiently capitalized, and experience in business and the hospitality industry is a significant step towards achieving our strategic plans for international expansion and becoming a global brand" said James VIllasana, President of Smoothie Factory.

According to SMOOTHIE FACTORY, their main target initially will be the 400 million city-dwelling residents out of China's total 1.2 billion population. Currently, the initial store is scheduled to open in May 2010 in the southern city of Shenzhen with a population over 30 million. A three year geographic expansion strategy targets areas which not only have favorable demographic profiles but which can also be serviced and supported by SMOOTHIE FACTORY'S operations infrastructure. For each targeted region, SMOOTHIE FACTORY will select a large city to serve as a 'hub'; a team of professionals will be located in hub cities to support the goal of opening 15 or more stores in the hub in the first two years. Once stores blanket the hub, then additional stores will be opened in smaller, surrounding 'spoke' areas in the region.

The immediate goal of SMOOTHIE FACTORY China is to identify a qualified professional regional sub-franchisor and to open 10 or more stores in Shanghai City over the next calendar year. The long-term vision is to identify capable regional sub-franchisors in other major cities of China and open hundreds of SMOOTHIE FACTORY stores to serve the Chinese market.

Today's agreement comes ten weeks after SMOOTHIE FACTORY announced a master franchise agreement to develop SMOOTHIE FACTORY stores in Vietnam.

For more than 14 years the SMOOTHIE FACTORY brand has been a leader in the juice bar industry by providing customers with reasonably priced smoothies, served quickly, in attractive, clean, pleasant surrounding every day. In addition, an unwavering commitment to value on nutritional products continues to be an ingredient in their success. The company's web site is located at www.smoothiefactory.com.

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