RED MANGO TO OPEN FIRST STORES IN NEBRASKA, EXPAND IN MISSOURI

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Teanna Hart

Former executive signs development agreement for 10-store deal; first locations to open in Omaha

DALLAS – (April 8, 2010) – When Bret Cain and his wife went to Hawaii for their 20th wedding anniversary they planned to enjoy a vacation and celebrate the sale of his IT business to a Fortune 100 Company. He never expected to return home with plans to open a frozen yogurt shop. But after visiting the Red Mango in Honolulu Cain knew he’d found his next career move.

Cain recently signed a multi-unit development agreement with Red Mango, one of the nation’s fastest-growing all-natural nonfat yogurt and smoothie retailers, to open 10 stores in Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. The first three stores, which will open in quick succession in Omaha and Lincoln this spring and summer, are the first Red Mango locations for Nebraska.

M\"My wife and I tried the yogurt in Hawaii and loved the taste and the vibe of the store,\" he said. \"When we returned home we started investigating the franchise opportunity. We were on our anniversary and not thinking about business, but the store just drew us in.\"

In addition to Omaha, Cain is planning the development of Lincoln, Neb., and the counties of Johnson, Douglas and Jackson, which include Kansas City and Lawrence, Kan.

Cain says his initial stores will feature a self-serve format and focus on the college populations in Omaha and Lincoln.

\"Of our 10 stores, three will be near a university,\" he said. \"We’ll open near the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and then near the University of Kansas in Lawrence. We plan to build self-serve stores near the colleges and at our traditional locations.\"

Cain recently brought on a regional operations director, Justin Lorimer, and expects to open his first three locations in June and July, beginning with a self-serve store off 168th St and W. Center Road, at the Shops of Legacy.

\"We’re excited to bring Red Mango to Nebraska,\" he said. \"Justin has been a huge asset to the team and we can’t wait to open.\"

Red Mango, which received the 2009 Nation’s Restaurant News’ \"Hot Concepts!\" award, opened its first store in Los Angeles in July 2007 and has grown to 60 locations across 14 states.

Red Mango is currently awarding franchise opportunities in select markets across the country.

About Red Mango:

Red Mango, the fastest-growing retailer of all-natural nonfat yogurt and smoothies, opened its first U.S. store in July 2007 in Los Angeles and has since celebrated 60 store openings across Arizona, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Red Mango received Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2009 \"Hot Concepts!\" award and has been named the best frozen yogurt in Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, Utah and New York by independent publications. Headquartered in Dallas, Red Mango serves uniquely delicious frozen yogurt that is all-natural, nonfat, gluten-free and packed with beneficial live and active probiotic cultures that support a healthy immune and digestive system. Red Mango’s frozen yogurt has been certified by the National Yogurt Association’s Live and Active Culture Seal for meeting the required criteria for healthy frozen yogurt. Additionally, Red Mango recently introduced the first iced teas fortified with probiotics.

Red Mango’s investors include CIC Advantage Holdings, LLC, a holding company formed by CIC Partners and leading retail restaurant operators to invest in and add value to multi unit retail companies.