Zumo has been in the UK for the past five years but it is only since the juice and smoothie boom of the last couple of years that the company has started to expand at a greater rate.

Kalron Foods signed a licence to sell the Zumo brand in England and Wales five years ago, after coming across the first juice bar in Ireland. Zumo was developed by an entrepreneur who, having noticed the smoothie market developing while travelling in South America, returned home to Ireland to develop his own recipes.

Head of franchise development Anthony Round says: "Our first juice bar was at Merry Hill in Dudley and from there we had a slow build up, with one a year for the first few years. Then, when the health market expanded, so did we."

There are currently 25 bars to date across England and Wales, from London up to the Scottish border. Next year Round hopes Zumo will open between 10 to 15 new units - a reachable target as several units are currently in legals, processing to full deals.

Round says Zumo hopes to have 150 to 200 bars open in the UK within the next 15 years. The company prefers to trade from a mid-mall kiosk but will also look at in-line units, ideally of 160 sq ft in size.

"We're happy to sign a 10-year deal," says Round. "We're here for the long term."

Zumo is strict about its quality control, and according to Round, "We don't compromise on quality and we don't use concentrates. We only use fresh fruit. We aim to buy the best possible products and our blends and smoothies, we believe, are the most beneficial to the market. We also have our own brand low-fat pro-biotic yoghurt."

Zumo offers an impressive 37 drink options and each month introduces something new as a Special of the Month, the last of these being 'Organic Bean'.

"We have also brought in a new super food called Acai, which comes from the Amazon rainforest and that supplements some of our drinks," says Round, who adds that you can also drink Acai neat.

"The impression we've had from landlords is that they love the concept. It adds a vibrancy to the mall and creates interest because people queue for our drinks. The smell of fresh fruit is good for the mall and also creates a different offer."

Zumo is currently expanding overseas with development in Spain, France, Austria, Russia and Germany. There are also 50-plus stores in Ireland.

"As a brand Zumo is international and we have 85 to 90 bars throughout the portfolio," says Round.

Going forward, Kalron Foods has developed a healthy salads concept, called Leaf, which is currently available at Urban Splash's Fort Dunlop building in Birmingham. The company now plans to expand that offer, which also includes baked potatoes, soups and Zumo juices, into major northern towns. In shopping centres, meanwhile, Kalron has developed a concept called Caju - a healthy upmarket nut offer.

Zumo is also developing a mobile unit to target open-air shopping centres. "Some centres approach us to say they love our approach, but because they're open-air, it's no good in the winter," says Round. "So we've designed a mobile unit, for use only in the summer months."

Statistics

zumo

Average bar turnover (per week): £6,500

Number of UK franchised bars: 14

Number of UK company-owned bars: 11

Average store size: 160 sq ft

Letting agents: Various

Founder: Cathal Power

Directors: Roni Delal and Kalpesh Raja

Head of franchise development: Anthony Round

Head office: Unit 12, Barshaw Business Park, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, LE4 1ET

Website: http://www.zumojuicebar.com

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