Smoothie King plans 1,000 new stores by 2018

New Orleans -- Smoothie King Franchises is targeting the Jacksonville, Fla., metro area to kick off a major expansion calling for 1,000 new franchised and corporate locations over the next five years.



With seven stores in Jacksonville, the company plans to add 10 new locations there over the next three years.



To fuel the national expansion drive, Smoothie King is offering candidates 40% off of its initial franchise fee for the first 40 agreements of 2013 — a savings of $10,000.



In addition, more than 50 existing franchisees have committed to opening additional units across the country this year.



With more than 500 current locations in the U.S., the company sees expansion potential in Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states as well as Texas.



Internationally, Smoothie King is planning 50 new stores in South Korea and 10 in Singapore for 2013.