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Lovejuice, the UK’s premier smoothie and juice bar operator backed by Smedvig Capital, has acquired Barefruit Juice, a chain of juice bars in the North of England. This acquisition accelerates the expansion of Lovejuice and in particular provides a stronghold in the North.

Lovejuice is also pleased to announce the imminent opening of a new flagship outlet in the recently completed Terminal 5 complex at Heathrow airport. Lovejuice fought off tough competition to secure a store in the new Terminal and is delighted to be in such an exciting new development, which will see millions of travellers passing each year.

Barefruit Juice is a highly complementary acquisition for Lovejuice – sharing a similar ethos and culture when it comes to product and service. Barefruit is a chain of smoothie and juice bars which like Lovejuice aims to provide alternative nutritious beverages to caffeinated and carbonated drinks sold at the majority of UK fast food outlets. Like Lovejuice it is committed to choosing the healthiest and best ingredients to ensure the quality of the products they provide. With this parallel commitment to healthy fruit and vegetables being the constituent parts to their offering Barefruit made the perfect partner for Lovejuice.

Commenting on the announcement, John Heseltine, founder of Lovejuice, said: “This acquisition marks the next important stage in our growth, as we build scale and a strong presence across the UK. We are growing our portfolio of outlets and remain on the look out for comparable acquisitions as the juice bar sector moves into a period of consolidation. We will also continue to open new stores organically when the right opportunities arise”

He added: “Winning a key spot in the new terminal building was quite a triumph for us and a superb endorsement of the quality of the Lovejuice brand. These are exciting times for us and we look forward to making similar announcements in due course as we continue our ongoing growth pattern and dedication to healthier alternatives to traditional fast food on the move.”