Jamba sells another 13 stores to franchiseesJamba sells another 13 stores to franchisees

Lisa Jennings

As part of its ongoing plan to refranchise 150 corporate locations by the end of the year, Jamba Inc. said Wednesday it has inked a deal to sell 13 stores in South Florida.

Multi-unit franchise operator Great Service Restaurants LLC, or GSR, has agreed to purchase the 13 stores in a deal expected to close in early October, said Emeryville, Calif.-based Jamba Inc. Terms were not disclosed.

The agreement also includes the development of nine new Jamba Juice locations in southeastern Florida by GSR. Principals in the franchisee group, reportedly based in West Palm Beach, Fla., include Arturo Zindel, Jordi Zindel, Guillermo Perez Vargas, and Angel Herrera.

“Florida is a prime location for Jamba Juice and we see a tremendous opportunity for growth in this market,” said Thibault de Chatellus, senior vice president of global franchise development for Jamba Juice. “The GSR team has tremendous franchise operations experience. They also have strong ties to the community, which gives them a hometown advantage to engage with customers and local businesses, drive broader awareness of the Jamba brand, and increase traffic to their stores.”

Jamba said the GSR deal — along with earlier agreements for the refranchising of 102 stores — brings the company within about 80 percent of its goal to sell 150 corporate units before the end of the year.

As of mid-July, the Jamba Juice chain included 432 corporate stores and 311 franchised locations for a total of 743 nationwide.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].