Planet Smoothie Continues West Coast Expansion With Beverly Hills Opening
Prime location in a storied, upscale shopping district is the latest Planet Smoothie option for Californians in Beverly Hills
California is the No. 1 driver of dining trends in the U.S., according to Eater.com, and Planet Smoothie continues to build a strong presence in this trendsetting region. The brand’s Beverly Hills location, which celebrated its official grand opening in November, is the latest member of the Planet Smoothie® franchise family in California. It joins Redondo Beach, Arvin and Santa Monica, as well as a fifth pending location in Yucca Valley.\
Recruiting-industry executives Brian Godfrey and Dina Marcelli were eager to open their Beverly Hills Planet Smoothie franchise just around the corner from Rodeo Drive, at the high-profile corner of Charleville Boulevard and South Beverly Drive. The Beverly Hills location is a walk-up counter concept with outdoor seating to accommodate the many pedestrians who are shopping, dining, people-watching and sightseeing in the area.
“We had a strong interest in providing a product that was part of an active lifestyle, and this business seemed like a good fit for that. Dina did a lot of research, and we went with Planet Smoothie because they had experience with full-store setups, as well as walk-up locations like the one we’re going to be operating,” Godfrey says.
Training and support help franchisees from day one
The new owners credit their on-boarding with helping them adjust to both franchise ownership and the smoothie business. “That was helpful to us, because we are new to the business. The trainers kept it fun, informative and very interactive, which was great.”
That training continued as they prepped for opening day. “We also knew we would be getting a lot of help with the opening, so knowing the additional training and support was coming eased our minds. The system was in place to get us through a soft opening, help with more training and be ready for our grand opening,” Godfrey says.
Adaptable business model attracts entrepreneurs
Planet Smoothie’s adaptable business model, which can suit many sizes and locations, also was appealing to Planet Smoothie’s Beverly Hills team. Because a Planet Smoothie franchise can be a stand-alone site, folded into a strip mall or other retail center, and scaled down to fit in a train station, convenience store or even a kiosk in a high-traffic office building, the brand adapts to meet consumers where they are.
“A Planet Smoothie franchise owner has a lot of choice from the outset,” explains John Wuycheck, Senior Vice President of Franchise Development for Kahala Brands™. “He or she can open a smaller, kiosk-style location, or a store in a traditional shopping-center setting. We are also aggressively pursuing nontraditional locations like busy commuter train stations, airports and other sites. Planet Smoothie is a very portable business model, and we are working to take full advantage of that.”
Planet Smoothie is a smoothie franchise that sets itself apart by offering great-tasting smoothies that use healthier ingredients. In a side-by-side comparison, our smoothies generally have less sugar and fewer calories — a big competitive advantage as Americans actively seek out healthier options. Planet Smoothie is led by a veteran franchise team and dedicated brand support team as part of the Kahala Brands family.
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