January 7, 2009

NEW ORLEANS — For the 16th year, Smoothie King Franchises, Inc., was ranked number one in the Juice Bar category and named the number 67 franchise overall by Entrepreneur Magazine’s 30th Annual Franchise 500 Awards. The New Orleans-based chain was also ranked the 37th fastest growing franchise, and rose several spots to number 57 as a top global franchise, up from number 99 in 2007.

“Our consistent climb in the Entrepreneur annual rankings is a testament to the commitment of our corporate team and franchise partners, and also that our core business works to improve health and enhance lives,” said Steve Kuhnau, president and founder of Smoothie King. “We are seeing that more and more people are making their health a priority, and we exist as a resource to help fulfill that demand.”

While many competitors were shuttering locations or slowing their pace of growth, 2008 marked a milestone year for Smoothie King, with the opening of more than 100 new store locations.

“The boom in the smoothie and nutritional supplement category over the past several years, combined with our successful business model, has brought us a steady stream of qualified entrepreneurs who are also our biggest fans,” said Kuhnau. “We expect to continue our upward growth for the Smoothie King brand because more and more people need to adopt healthier lifestyles.”

Kuhnau began making smoothies in response to his own health issues and food allergies in the late 1960s. More than 30 years later, he and his wife Cindy, Smoothie King’s co-founder, are accomplishing their desire to bring healthful products to mainstream America.

Smoothie King offers more than 40 smoothies made to order with real fruit, all-natural juices, and a functional mix of vitamins and nutrients to fit every need or lifestyle. Whether a guest is looking to gain or lose weight, build muscle, boost immunity or complement a workout, Smoothie King’s trained team members can help educate and help guests choose a smoothie right for them.

Entrepreneur’s ranking methodology includes analyzing and comparing objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation. The most important factors include financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system. Additionally, consideration is given to the number of years a company has been in business and the length of time it’s been franchising, startup costs, litigation, percentage of terminations, and whether the company provides financing.

To date, more than 200 million Smoothie King smoothies have been served at more than 580 locations in 32 states across the United States and in South Korea.

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About Smoothie King Franchises, Inc.

Smoothie King is a privately held, New Orleans-area-based franchise company and the premier Smoothie Bar and Nutritional Lifestyle Center in the industry. Smoothie King Centers offer guests the industry’s first, original nutritional fruit- and function-based, fresh-blended smoothies. Each Lifestyle Center also offers healthy retail product solutions, including sports beverages, energy bars, healthy snacks, vitamin supplements, herbs, minerals and other sports nutrition products. Smoothie King opened its first store in 1973 and started as the first franchised smoothie bar/health food store business in the United States in 1989. Smoothie King currently has more than 580 units operating in 32 states and the Republic of Korea. For more information, visit www.smoothieking.com.