The international development of Planet Smoothie® is in motion with the opening of its first two locations in suburban Melbourne, Victoria. Kahala Brands™, the franchisor and owner of the Planet Smoothie brand, has collaborated with Smoothie Group Pty. Ltd. to open the brand in Australia.
Owned and operated by Wally and Carrie Ibrahim, Smoothie Group Pty. Ltd. is based in Docklands, Victoria just outside of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD). The company plans to open an additional location in the fourth quarter of 2022 and by year’s end seeks to employ approximately 40 staff across four retail locations around the Melbourne area.
Planet Smoothie fills the need of Australian consumers looking for a broader range of options and a high level of customer service. Planet Smoothie’s menu looks to resonate with consumers who care about the quality and variety of ingredients that go into their smoothies.
“Planet Smoothie is a brand to get excited about. With colourful branding, fun and cleverly named smoothies that taste amazing – as we like to say, The Best Tasting Smoothie on the Planet – second to none customer service levels, Planet Smoothie is simply a fun brand that everyone loves. We have developed an old favourite, Orange Sherbet, as a delicious ingredient for our smoothies and introduced peanut butter as an ingredient that has been exciting for our customers!” said Wally Ibrahim, CEO of Smoothie Group Pty. Ltd. “The option for customers to customise their smoothies and add in Blasts is something that really hasn’t been explored at a national retailer level in Australia, and I am excited to see how these options resonate with the Australian public. I am so happy to be partnering with Planet Smoothie and bringing healthy fruit options to the Australian public. I wanted to work with an organisation that made me feel like a partner. The team at Kahala made me feel like that from our very first interaction. The opportunity to bring a new player into the Australia Smoothie market was evident and the perfect match was Planet Smoothie.”
Longer term, Smoothie Group Pty. Ltd. and Kahala Brands will work together to expand the Planet Smoothie brand with plans to open multiple locations within the next five years.
“Building this brand and supporting its international expansion into Australia has been a pleasure for us at Planet Smoothie,” said Eddy Jimenez, senior vice president of international operations and development at Kahala Brands™. “Their passion and commitment to steadily grow this brand over the next five years is very impressive, and we are thrilled to introduce Planet Smoothie and all of our healthy offerings and exceptional customer service to all consumers in the Melbourne market and beyond.”
