Red Mango Celebrates Record Growth In 2012

- Agreements for 74 new locations and four additional states

- International expansion awarded for Central America and South America

- Chain surpasses 210 open locations

- Opening at National Institutes of Health

- Expansion across airports and colleges

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Jan 15, 2013, 09:00 ET

DALLAS, Jan. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Mango, one of America's fastest-growing frozen yogurt and smoothies chains, enjoyed a record year for franchise development in 2012 and expanded the chain to more than 210 open stores.

Domestically, the company awarded agreements for 74 new locations and added the states of Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi and New Mexico to the roster.

International growth for Red Mango also included multi-unit expansion agreements for Central America and South America, where the first location opened in Uruguay. The first Central America store is scheduled to open in early 2013.

"It was a fantastic year for Red Mango, both domestically and abroad," said Miguel Foegal, president of Red Mango. "We continue to trump the economy and build lasting relationships with our franchisees, master licensees and consumers looking for the very best."

The best includes a steadily improving bottom line, which resulted in the company delivering its first year of positive earnings since its inception - a financial aspect that earned Red Mango Chief Financial Officer Richard Jensrud a CFO of the Year Award from the Dallas Business Journal.

Championing the brand's award-winning healthy menu, The Compass Group of North America opened another Red Mango location, this time at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., one of the world's foremost medical research centers.

Adding to existing agreements with foodservice operators Compass, HMSHost, ARAMARK, Sodexo and The Grove, Red Mango further expanded its presence in non-traditional locations such as airports and college campuses across the United States where the brand continues to connect with loyal customers.

That connection with consumers extended to the social media following that Red Mango continues to embrace, earning the brand the number two, three and four positions in quarterly rankings of the Restaurant Social Media Index (RSMI) in 2012 alongside such chains as Starbucks. The ranking, based on customer loyalty through social media channels, has underscored the public's affinity for Red Mango and, likewise, the company's goals for additional growth in the year ahead.

"We expect another record year ahead as we look to new markets for franchise development in the U.S. and focus on the strongest partnerships for international growth in additional countries," Foegal added.

About Red Mango:

Red Mango, one of the fastest growing retailers of all-natural nonfat frozen yogurt and fresh fruit smoothies, opened its first U.S. store in July 2007, and has since celebrated more than 210 store openings in North America. Red Mango was named the number one smoothie and frozen yogurt chain in America in Zagat's 2011 National Chain Restaurants Survey. Other awards have included the prestigious Nation's Restaurant News' "Hot Concepts!" award and the industry-recognized SupplySide's "Scientific Excellence Award," as well as best frozen yogurt honors in Dallas, Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, Utah and New York by highly-regarded independent publications. Headquartered in Dallas, Red Mango serves uniquely delicious frozen yogurt that is all-natural, nonfat and lowfat, gluten-free and fortified with beneficial live and active probiotic cultures like GanedenBC30®(Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086), which probiotic helps support the immune and digestive systems when consumed as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Red Mango is the first frozen yogurt retailer to earn the National Yogurt Association's Live and Active Cultures seal for meeting the required criteria for healthy frozen yogurt. Red Mango recently expanded its menu to include satisfying meal options such as its all-natural fruit and yogurt parfaits and fresh fruit smoothies.