“Location, location, location” may be a cliché, but it only became one because it’s true. As most franchise professionals will attest to, determining where to open up shop is just as important as what you’re opening.
This helps explains the palpable excitement of the Smoothie King team as it unveils its new VEXRAY system.
“VEXRAY is a portal that allows anyone in the country to submit recommendations for new Smoothie King locations,” said John Gordon, real estate manager for the brand. “Franchisees, customers – anyone can submit a location for all to see and it will automatically be scored against our model.”
According to Forum Analytics, who built the proprietary system for Smoothie King, VEXRAY automatically eliminates unqualified sites and identifies the best available real estate in real time.
That second part is important, as the last thing Smoothie King wants to do is open up storefronts without first making sure they meet all strategic needs. Additionally, Gordon highlighted how this technology will help the brand speed up its franchise development efforts.
“You know how fast business moves these days, and this represents one more key element that allows us to get the information we need quickly,” he said. “I can pull up the mapping system on my phone and see immediately what the options are. Brokers and developers can do the ground work while I make sure locations suit our model. It’s a huge win for us.”