News


 

Press Release :
Manhattan Beach, CA, March 1, 2006 – Robeks Corporation, a premium retail juice franchising company, today announced it has received new growth capital from Emigrant Capital Corporation, a private equity investment firm and a division of Emigrant Bank. In addition, Tony Gioia, an Emigrant Capital Executive Partner and a veteran of the retail, food and beverage industries, will immediately join the Company in the positions of President, CEO and Vice Chairman of the Board.

Previously, Gioia held such esteemed posts as the President of Baskin-Robbins, the CEO of Tully’s Coffee and co-founder of Wolfgang Puck Worldwide.

"We are very excited to secure new capital from Emigrant and bring in Tony Gioia to lead our company" said David Robertson, Robeks' founder and Chairman. "As we celebrate Robeks 10 year anniversary, Tony’s wealth of experience will provide the leadership necessary to take Robeks to the next level of success."

"I’m pleased that Emigrant has completed its investment in Robeks and thrilled about the opportunity to lead the company," said Gioia. "I believe the premium retail juice segment is part of a demographic sea change where consumers want a healthier and more nutritious lifestyle, and Robeks is well positioned to capitalize on this trend."

Robeks will use its new source of capital for retail support infrastructure and to enable focused growth. Several existing Robeks investors also participated in the financing.

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About Robeks :
Since opening the first Robeks Juice store in 1996, the Company has always been passionate about promoting the importance of good nutrition and its essential role in helping people maintain active and healthy lifestyles. Robeks’ goal is to make eating a healthy meal both quick and easy by offering a great-tasting selection of premium quality, made-to-order fruit smoothies and freshly-squeezed vegetable juices, as well as wholesome sandwiches, salads and healthy snacks. Currently there are over 80 Robeks locations with many more on the way. In addition, Robeks was named one of the top ten new franchises for 2006 by Entrepreneur® in their 27th Annual Franchise 500®. For more information, please visit www.robeks.com.

About Emigrant Capital:
Emigrant Capital is a private investment firm that offers middle market companies the capital and resources they need to realize their full potential. Through our experience as a successful deal sponsor, and the talents of our Executive Partners, we bring significant industry expertise and valuable relationships to our portfolio companies. This allows us to provide not only the optimal capital structure, but also a wealth of resources to help ensure success.