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Jamba Juice Finally Extends It's Brand, Officially
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I have been a big believer in Jamba Juice since back before it was a public company. Not only have I lost a lot of money owning JMBA, but it has been very disappointing. I have been patiently waiting for the new management to do something and finally the day has come.
Today Jamba announced that distribution has launched of the new Nestle/Jamba ready-to-drink beverages in eight western states. Nestle's giant distribution channel is exactly what JMBA needed to get it's products to the masses. Drinks will be available at Target, Safeway, Albertsons, Ralph's, 7-Eleven, Raley's, and Walgreens the very first day the produts launch. The starting lineup includes six drinks, three smoothies & three juices. They include: Strawberries Wild w/Energy Boost, Orange Dream Machine w/Immunity, Banana Berry w/Heart Healthy Boost; and, three Jamba Juicies named Orange Strawberry Banana w/Protein Boost, Mango Orange Peach w/Fiber Boost, Very Berry w/Calcium Boost.
Now the magic touch here with the Jamba drinks are the boosts. I believe the secret ingredient here are the boosts. Anyone familiar with a Jamba Juice smoothie knows how they work and I think boosts will translate to these ready-to-make drinks nicely. I hate to compare, but the energy drink market is HUGE and profitable. Anyone who rode the wave at Hansens(HANS) knows what I'm talking about.
The stock got a nice pop today on the announcement (12%) but I think we might finally see a gradual turnaround of this unloved stock. As investors start seeing the drinks and as announcements come out of distribution expansions we could have the next JSDA on our hands. I am going to pick up some more shares here even though I am way overweight and have lost a lot of money with JMBA. It is just one of those stocks that I have always believed in. The real test will be the drinks. I will come back and update once I have tried one.
UPDATE: Somehow I left out a Starbucks reference. The business model is a lot like theirs. Starbucks's largest growth came when they began licensing out and selling coffee outside their store.
Related Articles:
Jamba Juice Explodes On Record Earnings, And Then Tanks (12 June, 2007)
JMBA- All Time Lows, & Taking Me With It (15 August, 2007)
JMBA- Cutting Back(21 August, 2007) |
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