Jamba Juice is building a new unit in Pasadena, Calif., that will act as a test space for new products, technology and other aspects of the in-store experience, the company said Monday.
“For the future, we are now building a state-of-the-art learning lab, a concepts store, in Pasadena, Calif., that will enable us to do testing in three key areas of product, technology and experience in order to push the boundaries of the brand and our retail concept development,” Jamba Inc. president, chairman and CEO James White said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call Monday.
Details were not available regarding the date of completion of the unit or what sorts of products or technology would be tested.
The Emeryville, Calif.-based quick-service operator reported net income of $13.1 million, or 81 cents per share, for the third quarter ended Sept. 29, compared with a loss of $1.7 million, or 10 cents per share, the previous year. Company same-store sales rose 6.6 percent, Jamba said.
Revenue fell to 35.5 million, from $58.3 million a year earlier, as the company continued to sell corporate locations to franchisees. As of the end of the quarter, Jamba owned 94 locations, a decrease from 272 units a year earlier. The chain has a total of 884 locations.
“Our third quarter results reflect excellent progress on all of our priorities,” White said. “With the completion during the quarter of three refranchising deals for 111 stores and one more refranchise deal closed subsequent to the quarter, Jamba’s transformation to an asset-light model is virtually complete with more than 90 percent of our units franchised.”
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