Nick Giles
Auckland, April 12, 2024
Bowl & Arrow was founded in 2015 by two friends with the aim of creating nutritious smoothie bowls that are exceptional in every possible way. The business filled an important need in the hospitality sector for healthy and ethical ‘feel good’ food and beverages.
Over nine years, the business has grown and changed immensely, and it is now being marketed for sale for the first time by Nick Giles of LINK Business Broking. Nick says “This is such a desirable brand that is so well respected amongst its loyal customer base. The quality of the product is incredibly high and there are tremendous opportunities for growth.”
The owners have a “Do Good; Feel Good” ethos and Bowl & Arrow has deliberately positioned itself squarely at the forefront of the move towards healthy, ethical, and convenient dining options. Today’s fast casual market is becoming increasingly competitive, and values focused, and Bowl & Arrow has gone to great lengths to build and position a business model that will thrive under these changing conditions.
Incorporating this ethos throughout every facet of Bowl & Arrow’s operational model has been an integral ingredient to its success. Tapping into a market hungry for healthy, ethical, and convenient food and beverage options has cemented Bowl & Arrow’s market leadership position. By catering to customers evolving values and busier day-to-day lives through its prioritisation of health, ethics, and convenience, it has also paved the way for its own continued growth and success.
Having started at a local market, Bowl & Arrow soon grew to have two premium grab and go sites, alongside a consistent corporate catering and community events service. Nick says, “Following the success at the farmers markets, the owners decided that it was time to open its first brick and mortar store in 2016 at Orakei Bay Village. The operation was New Zealand’s first smoothie bowl café, and it was an absolute hit.”
The owners, happy with the success of the first store, opened the second location in the prestigious Westfield Newmarket store in 2019. Nick says of this store, “the Newmarket branch is beautifully presented, and it occupies an enviable position at the top of major escalators and right outside the very busy Countdown supermarket.”
Bowl & Arrow’s strategic expansion from local markets to brick-and-mortar stores reflects its agility in seizing opportunities. Its debut at Orakei Bay Village was a significant milestone, establishing the business as pioneering in the smoothie bowl café industry in New Zealand. The opening of its Newmarket branch highlighted Bowl & Arrow’s ability to thrive in diverse and busy environments, capitalising on the high foot traffic of this location to maximise visibility and market presence. Taking these opportunities not only expanded Bowl & Arrow’s reach but also solidified its reputation for innovation and delivery of high-quality service. These strong foundations give a new owner operator the confidence that they are stepping into a business that is well-positioned for further growth and success.
Across the cafes, the company processes 3,000 customer transactions per week and sales are an impressive $28K. It is a very simple operation with few moving parts. “These are easy-to-operate ‘grab-and-go’ style businesses without the need for trained chefs and kitchen staff. It means that they are far simpler to operate than most hospitality businesses,” Nick explains.
In addition to sales directly through the kiosk, Bowl & Arrow also provides catering to some major companies and well-known brands, and this adds nicely to the organic store sales. It’s also an area that can be grown if the new owner so desires.
Nick talks more about the opportunities for growth: “I like to look at the business side of things and the scalability of a brand. Bowl & Arrow has developed such a strong reputation and brand-image that the growth opportunities really excite me. The systems are all well-developed and the product really is of superior quality. Opening new stores would be a relatively simple process. Site requirements are minimal, especially with no kitchen, and I see the brand fitting into all sorts of retail and commercial environments. I could certainly imagine an entrepreneurial owner going down the franchise route with this one.”
This is an exciting opportunity for an aspiring, ambitious new business owner. Regardless of whether you aspire to grow the brand or simply make the most of what the current owners have developed, Bowl & Arrow is a solid and profitable business. A working owner would make around $300,000 here on current trading.
Encouraging interested buyers to reach out now, Nick says, “This is such a fun brand and product that really strikes a chord with its customers. They absolutely love it. Bowl & Arrow a business & brand that a new owner would be deeply proud of.”
The business is for sale now at $700,000 and Nick can be contacted at nick.giles@linkbusiness.co.nz or on 021676832.
