Smoothie King is seeking to add 25 franchise locations in Missouri, in the St. Louis area over the next five years, the company said in a statement released Monday.
The New Orleans-based chain, which has eight existing locations, said it's cutting its franchise fee by 40 percent -- $10,000 -- to stimulate growth.
"Smoothie King continues to experience tremendous growth, with 27 new U.S. openings planned through July 2013," said Smoothie King Global CEO Wan Kim . "We are confident that our brand has great potential for further development in St. Louis and look forward to building a stronger presence in the area."
Smoothie King plans to add 1,000 new franchised and corporate locations domestically over the next five years. Even with more than 500 locations in the U.S., the brand still has extensive smoothie franchise opportunities available in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, as well as Texas.
The company also noted that international development plans include expansion in Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, with 50 new stores planned in South Korea and 10 in Singapore in 2013.
Smoothie King's expansion plans comes as its rival, Jamba Juice, also plans to expand in St. Louis. Dave Peacock, former president of Anheuser-Busch, signed a franchise agreement with Jamba Juice in January to develop 15 locations in Missouri and Kansas over nine years, beginning in St. Louis. Emeryville, Calif.-based smoothie and fresh juice chain Jamba Juice has more than 800 locations, but none yet in Missouri.
