Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
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RET AILING TODA Y Global cooling YOGURTLAND WANTS THE WORLD TO SAMPLE ITS SELF-SERVE FROZEN DESSERTS By Madhusmita Bora P Though some might understandably question the timing, the concept does seem tailor-made for a rough economy: Its self-serve format minimizes staffing costs for the chain while allowing the customer to decide how much to buy — and pay for. It's a recessionary win-win. Customers create their own yogurt com- bination choosing from 16 flavors and nearly 40 toppings, for 30 cents a pound. "We grew up in the worst time in the history of the economy that anyone can remember," said Larry Sidoti, Yogurt- land's vice president of development and operations. "I believe this concept will thrive in the worst of times because it's less than three bucks, satisfies the treat-craving and is healthier than junk." Sidoti knows something about such trends, because he is founder of the successful Juice It Up smoothie chain, 80 SCT / MAY 2012 HILLIP CHANG GOT THE IDEA TO START a frozen-yogurt chain just as the economy started freezing. That was risky, to be sure. But, emboldened by his success with a bubble-tea concept called Bobaloca, the California entrepreneur went ahead and launched Yogurtland — a self-serve, part-slurpee-machine, part- salad-bar concept, in 2006. though he is no longer affiliated with that Irvine, Calif.–based concept. Today there are 173 Yogurtland shops in the U.S., 23 in Mexico and two in Guam, and the company has designs on Asia and the Middle East. "Kids are saying it's a fun place be- cause they are in control, [and] parents like it because it's reasonably priced and healthy," said C. Britt Beemer, CEO of consumer-behavior consulting firm America's Research Group. (The firm has no business relationship with Yogurtland.) "These places have be- come a gathering location before and after football and basketball games and band events." Yogurtland shops typically measure about 1,500 square feet. Management prefers heavily trafficked open-air cen- ters but is also scouting sites at airports, on college campuses, at sports venues and similar nontraditional locations. Patrons of frozen-yogurt shops con- sider this dessert a small, low-cost in- dulgence, according to market research firm IBISWorld. Furthermore, one