A restaurateur, who owns a combined Bruegger's Bagels and Jamba Juice outlets, has signed an agreement to open up five more locations in Connecticut.
David Katz, who was the first to combine the bagel and smoothies franchises in one storefront, opened up the first combination store in Orange, Conn., about a year ago. It was the first Jamba Juice location in the state, and the first dual-branded operation for the Emeryville, Calif.-based smoothie chain. Katz said his goal was to fill out the roughly 3,000-square-foot space that was too big for the bagel outlet alone.
"The Bruegger's was doing okay," he said, according to the Hartford Courant. Katz noted that the Jamba Juice business "really, really helped everything. It increased Bruegger's by double digits in sales."
The concepts also work together because they drive traffic throughout the day, with bagel sales trending higher earlier in the day and smoothie sales bringing customers in for lunch and throughout the afternoon.
Katz has signed a contract for the rights to open five more Jamba Juice and Bruegger's outlets around the state. He said he's also considering Westport, Fairfield, Middletown and Stamford for future locations.
Under the agreement with Jamba Juice franchisor Jamba Inc., Katz has a commitment to open five more dual-branded units, but he envisions opening as many as eight to nine locations within the next five years, he said. The next unit is expected to open in May 2013.
Jamba Juice has been growing in nontraditional locations, including schools, where the company is projecting to reach about 1,500 locations by the end of next year with a self-serve JambaGO format. The company has said 40 to 50 traditional locations are also expected to open this year in the U.S., with another 15 internationally.
