Jamba Juice Taps Into The GCC's Growing Healthy F&B Market Jamba Juice, the number one smoothie brand in the United States, has debuted their first UAE outlet at Abu Dhabi's Yas Mall.

Landmark Group is bringing in a new brand to the GCC that they hope will satisfy foodies and health freaks alike. Jamba Juice, imported by the Group's F&B division Foodmark, debuted their first UAE outlet at Abu Dhabi's Yas Mall. According to Shobhit Tandon, Business Head at Landmark Group, they'll be satisfying the existing healthy indulgence market niche while simultaneously onboarding new health-conscious customers who aren't already familiar with the global brand. "Foodmark, which is our food and beverage division in Landmark Group, has entered into a master franchise development agreement in January 2014 to develop Jamba Juice across the Middle East. We plan to open a minimum of 80 Jamba Juice stores across GCC over the next 10 years," explains Tandon.

What's your take on the healthy market in the UAE?

In the UAE, consumers are broadly divided in two groups, one is the "Emerging Health Conscious", people who want to change their lifestyle by adopting healthy habits in food and daily routine, and the other is "Progressive Health Conscious", people who work out and eat healthy food routinely. We feel that this category will only become larger and stronger as we progress. While maintaining a healthy lifestyle is desirable, there are limitations to maintain it. Health and wellness, in the context of beverages and foods, is very fragile, in terms of sustenance and resolve. It's not that people don't want to have healthy food and drinks. But there is a common perception -and to a large extent, reality too, which plays the biggest hurdle- that they will have to compromise on taste. In short, people usually sacrifice health for taste when they feel like indulging, and vice-versa, when they feel guilty of the indulgence. Therefore, it is a very evident need gap of the millennials that Jamba has pitched in to fulfill. Jamba Juice gives its consumers the guilty pleasures of indulgence, but, at the same time, it is guilt-free. Not just guilt-free indulgence, but "healthy indulgence".

How does Jamba Juice fit into the UAE market?

Jamba Juice is the number one smoothie brand in the United States. With over 850 store locations globally across the USA, South Korea, Philippines, Mexico, Canada and now the UAE, Jamba Juice is committed to spreading health and wellness across the world through delicious and nutritious beverages and food. Healthy living has become an important part of people's lives, and Jamba Juice provides healthy and nutritional food with a quality, price and convenience that hasn't previously been available in the UAE market. At the core, Jamba Juice is a provider of health and wellness in the context of beverages and foods- a context that has a direct impact on vitality and healthy living. Jamba Juice follows the principle of being global but thinking local, and in the UAE, it will provide new flavors to appeal to the unique taste profile of the region, including special date-flavored smoothies and juices, as well as healthy wraps based upon favorite regional flavors. With Jamba we're bringing the world's best smoothies to the Middle East, and we believe all our customers will have a fruitful day.