Frozen Yogurt Chain Updates Decor, Signage, Packaging & More
TORONTO, Ontario — Yogen Fruz, the Canada-based frozen yogurt chain with 1,100 stores in 20 countries, has revamped its store design and overall branding to coincide with the opening of its first U.S. outlets in March. The first two stores with the new branding opened in Canada this month in the Toronto-Dominion Centre in Toronto and the MetroCentre in Burnaby, British Columbia.
The company expects at least 30 stores to open in U.S. strip plazas, shopping malls and regional shopping centers in 2008, with up to 1,000 U.S. outlets planned over the next decade. The first U.S. stores will open in the Orlando, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles metropolitan areas where master franchises have already been sold. Leases for 15 locations have been signed or are in the final negotiation stages to date.
The design update focuses on conveying the fresh, healthy attributes and premium quality of the Yogen Fruz product line. The use of polished blue glass tiles, gloss white panels, a contemporary color scheme and LED lights that paint the walls with color modernize the brand image throughout the retail space. New graphic menu panels capture the Yogen Fruz appetite appeal with close-croppings of the fresh fruit toppings and condiments, while the store layout has been changed to allow customers to see those fresh ingredients immediately in front of them as they stand at the counter.
The refresh also singles out the umlauted “U” in the Yogen Fruz name as an icon that expresses the feel-good expectation of the brand. The “U” appears on the store exterior and graphic wall detail where it pops out of phrases such as “Luv Life” and “Guilt-Free,” and is also carried through in the new package design.
Sit-down Yogen Fruz stores ranging from 800 to 1,400 square feet will feature different seating zones with an unusual upscale mix of bar-height and bench seating to cater to a variety of party sizes and experiences. Store formats will also include 100- to 200-square-foot kiosks and inline locations of 200 to 500 square feet.
Signage, packaging, uniforms and logos have also been updated. Store design, brand identity, package design and website design were handled by Toronto-based Jump Branding and Design Inc.
“We are entering the U.S. market with more than two decades of worldwide experience and what we believe to be more stores than any frozen yogurt chain in the world. This new store design ensures that we have the contemporary identity and curb appeal necessary to cut through the clutter in the space, draw customers into the Yogen Fruz fold, and quickly put us on the U.S. map,” said Aaron Serruya, who started the company with his brother Michael.
“We have faced local competition in every market we have entered over the last 22 years, and in every case we have emerged as the last chain standing,” Serruya added. “We have every reason to believe that we can achieve the same leadership position in the U.S.”
Yogen Fruz opened its first store in Toronto in 1986. The first franchise unit opened a year later in London, Ontario. By 1989, the Serruyas had 100 stores in Canada. In November 1991, they expanded to Indonesia with their first master franchisee. By the mid 1990s, they were selling master franchise territorial rights in Europe and Latin America.
The signature menu item is Yogen Fruz’s “Blend It” — a create-your-own combination of low-fat, non-fat or no-sugar-added
frozen yogurt and any of 16 varieties of flash-frozen fresh fruit mixed in the company’s proprietary machines while customers watch. A “Top It” option features plain yogurt with a choice of 18 toppings from fruit to granola, carob chips and Cap’n Crunch. Other menu selections include dairy and non-dairy smoothies, fresh fruit cups, and parfait-style breakfast yogurt layered with fresh berries.
via Reuters
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