Provided Jan. 8, 2021 In a year that was a struggle for most restaurant brands, Smoothie King managed to grow, opening 263 stores globally, including 71 in the United States, allowing it to surpass 1,000 stores domestically. The U.S. stores grew comp sales for the ninth consecutive year and closed out the second half of 2020 posting an unprecedented 12.2% sales growth year-over-year. In addition, Smoothie King hit record-setting new store annualized average sales of $627,922 for 2020 new-store openings. "When you have a year like 2020 where health and wellness come to the forefront unlike ever before, our franchise opportunity becomes even more attractive," CEO Wan Kim said in a company press release. "Not just because we're constantly improving and effectively answering today's guest trends with innovations like curbside pickup, online ordering and delivery; there's also an incomparable emotional attachment to a brand that genuinely cares and supports guests' healthy lifestyles."