Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/331061
"We juice mainly vegetables," said Shannon Sliger, founder and co-owner of the chain, which operates two shops in Buckhead. "We might use a bit of low- glycemic-index fruit — some green apple to sweeten a bitter juice — but we keep all our juices as low in sugar as possible." Raw and 100 percent organic, Dtox juices and smoothies are pressed at low temperatures and served right away. Teas, soups, salads and cleanse packages are also on the menu, along with 1-ounce "shots" made with wheatgrass, turmeric, ginger or even blue-green algae. This focus on freshness and nutrient density is precisely what educated devotees of the fast-growing raw-food movement are looking for, says Karen Spencer Welanetz, the concept's CEO. She and business partner Jenny Forst, who is CFO, acquired a stake in the company in March after doing some initial research into the growth of juicing in retail. They worked together for about 15 years as vice presidents of a leading U.S. mall REIT, so they have ample experience on the real estate side of the busi- ness. The more they learned about Sliger's concept, and the growth trajectory of the $22 billion juicing industry, the more they wanted to invest in it, says Welanetz, who operated a retail business in Shanghai from 2004 to 2012. "Jenny has a back- ground in economics and retail marketing, and my experience is in assessing good real estate and retail brand development," she said. "That ends up being a perfect complement to a great opera- tor like Shannon, who has a solid, scalable business." As it looks to open corporate-owned shops around metro At- lanta, Dtox Juice is seeking spaces measuring about 800 square feet. Its existing shops at North Roswell Road and West Paces hE OPERATORS OF FOOD BUSINESSES in the South often use waistline-expanding recipes loaded with sugar, salt and fat to lure customers. But Dtox Juice, which plans to grow to 10 shops in Atlanta over the next two years, is a far cry from the likes of Krispy Kreme or star chef Paula Deen. Ferry have a neighborhood feel, but the partners say they are interested in branch- ing out to other types of real estate as well. "We want to be in some higher-profile lo- cations where we can expose more people to the benefits of our juicing," Welanetz said. That might include food courts at major malls or at lifestyle centers with health-oriented co-tenants such as yoga studios and gyms close by, Welanetz says. "Co-tenancy is important," she said. "For example, one of our stores is next to Fly- wheel, a spin studio out of New York. You can walk into Flywheel before your class, order your juice on our smartphone app and then walk next door after class, where your juice is paid for, has your name on it and is ready to pick up." The company's organic juices cost twice as much as the sugary, pasteur- ized products sold in grocery stores. A 16-ounce glass of Dtox's Green Juice, which contains cucumber, apple, lemon, T To your health dTOX JUICE sErvEs a nUTrITIOnal, TasTy anTIdOTE TO sUgary smOOThIEs By Joel Groover r e T a i l i n g T o d a y 26 S C T / J U l y 2 0 1 4 26-27_SCT_JUL14_DTox.indd 26 6/12/14 5:51 PM