SANTA ANA, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 22, 2016) - Nékter Juice Bar, leader of the modern juice bar experience offering a delicious, nutrient-dense array of affordable, freshly made and cold-pressed juices, smoothies and acai bowls, today announced that in Q2 the company signed agreements to develop 41 new restaurants. The agreements cover a broad region of existing territories for Nékter Juice Bar and also include the new markets of Salt Lake City, Houston and Sacramento, which offer significant growth opportunities. With 58 restaurants now open in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and Colorado, this represents a 71 percent increase in store count.

In February 2016, Nékter announced plans for national expansion with a goal of growing to 300 franchise and corporate locations within five years, and the success in Q2 puts the company on par to exceed this goal by 2020. Nékter's expansion plans followed five years of fine-tuning the company's business model, which has resulted in an impressive average unit volume (AUV) of $840,740, per the company's 2016 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). Looking ahead, key growth markets include Northern and Central California, Los Angeles, Texas, and Nevada.

"The momentum we continue to experience at Nékter Juice Bar stems from our steadfast commitment to offering a menu based on integrity of ingredients -- we use only fresh, pure and nutrient-rich ingredients, and provide an engaging and inspiring experience for our guests," said Steve Schulze, CEO, Nékter Juice Bar. "In doing so, we continue to enjoy high average unit volumes in the juice bar world and the franchise community is responding. We continue to seek out entrepreneurs and leaders, who are looking to own a business in the thriving health and wellness sector of the restaurant industry, and want to make a real difference in their communities."

In addition to its record growth, Nékter experienced several other successes and achievements in Q2, including:

• Receiving the prestigious 2016 "Hot Concepts" award from Nation's Restaurant News magazine, an award that recognizes emerging restaurant brands that are changing the face of foodservice, have solid financial standing, and are poised for future growth.
• The opening of four new restaurants in Sacramento, a new market, and Huntington Beach, Calif., Tustin, Calif., and San Diego.
• The launch of a refreshed menu in June, including the new Mango Delight Smoothie, Acai Mango Bowl and Acai Superfood Bowl, four new bottled, cold-pressed juices and Superfood Proteins, as well as a new and improved low-glycemic, nutrient-dense Advanced Cleanse.
• The seasonal return of Nékter on the Rocks, Nékter's popular line of low-calorie, handcrafted cocktail mixers.
• The two-year anniversary of its entry into the Northern California market, now with seven locations in Danville, Mill Valley, Mountain View, Napa, Novato, Roseville, and Sunnyvale.
• The introduction of an inspirational lifestyle blog, "Live the Nékter Life," featuring tips and advice for living a balanced, healthier life.

"As evidenced by our accomplishments in these past three months alone, Nékter is on an upward trajectory by continuing to delight our guests through product innovation and by providing our franchise partners with an award-winning, proven concept that delivers on sales and ongoing support," said Schulze. "Americans are increasingly embracing healthy lifestyles and at Nékter, we're providing them with a pathway to affordable and great-tasting wellness."

About Nékter Juice Bar
Privately-owned and founded in Southern California by two healthy living enthusiasts, Steve and Alexis Schulze, Nékter Juice Bar is dedicated to inspiring a community of kids and adults to live an active, well-balanced, health-minded and compassionate life. Now with 58 corporate and franchise locations in California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Texas, Nékter Juice Bar is a modern reinvention of the juice bar, and continues to be at the forefront of the juicing revolution, offering an array of freshly made and cold-pressed juices, smoothies, and acai bowls that are natural, unprocessed, nutrient-rich, great tasting, and affordable. The "Nékter Life" also includes making a positive difference by offering food with a purpose and by supporting charitable organizations in the communities they serve. Connect with Nékter Juice Bar on social media at www.facebook.com/Nekterjuicebar, or www.instagram.com/Nekterjuicebar. For more information about the company or franchise opportunities, visit http://www.Nekterjuicebar.com/pages/franchise.