crowd that sees traditional smoothie chains – and those offered at some quick-service chains – as less health- ful. Among them are Liquiteria in New York; Daily Juice in Austin, Texas; Puree Artisan Juices in the Washington, D.C., area; and Moon Juice, Earthbar and Kreation Kafe in Los Angeles. The article states that this new
wave of juice bars typically offers
cold-pressed juices made in-house
and bottled for grab-and-go con-
venience, or offered in customized
blends. Some also offer fresh-
squeezed options, and supplements
like protein boosts or wheat grass
are also common.
At retail, growth was good for 2011.
NPD notes that the top purchase
motivators are price, good value
and features. While the majority of
purchases were made in-store (67.6
percent), Internet sales grew slightly in 2011 to 23. 9 percent from
17. 9 percent the previous year.
“Although many brands at many
different price points realized
growth year over year, the more
premium-priced products fared
the best during Q4,” said Debra J.
Mednick, executive director of client
development at The NPD Group/
Home, noting juice extractors also
saw an increase in sales. “We attribute this growth to the movement
toward healthier eating.”
Mednick said she believes the aging
population is adding to the trend,
with consumers looking to have
healthier lifestyles. Whether or not
these consumers actually use the
products in the end is another story.
“Manufacturers and retailers have
found an angle to compel people
to buy,” she explained, adding that 7
Along with the trend toward better
healthy choices from consumers
comes an increased interest in the
juicer category. Juice extractors
had $152 million in sales in 2011,
according to The NPD Group Inc./
Consumer Tracking Service, a small
portion of the $5.2 billion kitchen
electrics category tracked by the
research firm.
From juicers to juice extractors to
manual juicers, there are a variety
of tools to choose from, and shoppers appear to be tempted by all
facets of the category, particularly
premium-priced products, which
bodes well for the specialty retailer.
Since consumer trends tend to follow
the way of restaurant trends, a
February cover story from Nation’s
Restaurant News (NRN) bodes well
for the category. NRN reports that
juicing continues to grow at food
service across the country; and
coffee giant Starbucks plans to
unveil its own new juice bar concept
somewhere on the West Coast later
this year.
Small independent operations are
opening all over the country with
a modern take on juice, targeting a
2011
67.6%
23.9%
8.6%
Source: The NPD Group /
Consumer Tracking Service
