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Rapper 2 Chainz has been tapped as the newest franchisee for the Texas-based chain that is making a major expansion move in Massachusetts.
In partnership with another franchisee, Phillip Jones, 2 Chainz is set to open a Smoothie King kiosk June 26 inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Smoothie King’s partnership with 2 Chainz comes as the North Texas company embarks on expansion plans. In 2023, the company announced plans to open more than 160 new locations across the U.S., with 15 in the pipeline for Dallas-Fort Worth.
Smoothie King has two locations in Massachusetts so far, in Maynard, where it first opened in last year’s fourth quarter, and Marlborough. The Texas-based chain said it has 22 commitments from three franchisee groups to open in the Bay State.
Smoothie King CEO Wan Kim — who attended Boston University in the early 1990s — said the collaboration with 2 Chainz “aligns perfectly” with the company’s mission to promote a healthy and active lifestyle.
2 Chainz, a Georgia native, felt that opening a location inside the arena that’s home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks was the “right move,” he said in a statement.
“I visit Smoothie King at least twice a week, so this partnership has been a long time coming,” he said.
Before his career as a rapper with the stage name 2 Chainz, Tauheed Epps played basketball for Alabama State University in the 1990s. He was part of the Atlanta-based hip-hop group Playaz Circle before launching a solo career in 2010 that has earned him acclaim and songs with Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Drake.
Smoothie King already has four locations in Connecticut and has plans for more than 50 locations across the broader Northeast, from New Hampshire down to the Providence market, said Shawn Caric, the vice president of franchise development for Smoothie King.
“That’ll be our first cut,” Caric said of a Boston-area number of locations that is planned to rise beyond 50.
This story was originally published by The Business Journal on June 25, 2024.
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