Since taking over, Jamba
This is a big task, but Jamba is making progress and has shown it isn't afraid to take on big competitors in the process. Here are some of the moves Jamba has made on this journey.
The most recent and possibly most natural move Jamba has made is its new line of frozen yogurt. This segment has lots of competition from both mom-and-pop shops as well as giants like Pinkberry. The difference is that Jamba's yogurt is made with just three basic flavors -- tart, vanilla, and chocolate -- blended to order with fresh fruit or other healthy ingredients like almonds or granola.
This might not seem like a big step away from smoothies, but the advantage is that "froyo" is much faster to make, which should help improve traffic during busy hours. The company also thinks it will help improve sales during the evening hours, when many customers are just looking for a snack or after-dinner dessert, and not a big smoothie.
Jamba is also looking at warmer offerings like coffee and oatmeal to help boost winter sales. Again, there is big competition, mainly from Goliaths such as Starbucks
Jamba will even be taking on Hansen's
Most customers I've talked to are unaware of these changes, and judging by the stagnant stock price, investors are clueless, too, or else they're deeply skeptical. The one thing the company could probably do better is to get the word out more, because this caterpillar will be a butterfly soon.
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