It’s not just fresh, it’s Freshii. Starting in mid-April, Lettuce eatery will re-brand itself as Freshii, a name the company has been using in the U.S. since last year.
The name reflects menu changes and the chain’s evolution since its first store was opened in Toronto’s TD Centre in 2005, said Freshii CEO Matthew Corrin.
Soon after launch, Corrin realized he could offer more than, well, lettuce. “It made sense to test out new items,” he said, adding that soups sell well during Canadian winters and men often prefer burritos. “Ultimately we had this new offering: fresh food custom built,” he said. That new offering demanded a new name, he said.
Corrin tested out the Freshii name by opening a small string of Chicago stores in 2008. He discovered that under the new name, stores sold more high-profit menu items like oatmeal, soup and frozen yogurt.
“The longer we waited, the harder it would be,” Corrin said of the name change, adding he studied brands like Subway—which rebranded early in its development from its original name, Pete’s Subway Shop.
Corrin approached Leo Burnett about three months ago for help communicating the new brand, even though agency president and CEO David Moore told The Globe and Mail last September that Corrin would be unwise to move too far away from the “Lettuce” branding.
Gavin Bayley, an account manager for Leo Burnett who worked on the rebranding, said once the agency saw the business plan, they agreed the Lettuce name needed to change.
“Matt has a clear vision for his brand and what he needs to be successful,” said Bayley. “From an offering perspective, he had outgrown the name.”
Leo Burnett worked with Corrin on store design, product packaging, signage and bags. The challenge was to maintain the ultra-clean design style of Lettuce, while communicating that Freshii is about more than just greens, said Bayley.
The agency also suggested new colours for the stores and helped the company plan its first ever direct mail campaign, sending 100,000 flyers to homes and offices near Freshii locations. Over the past month, Lettuce has also started to change menu signage to include the Freshii name.
With a broader concept, Corrin has huge expansion plans. The company currently has 16 locations, 12 in Toronto and four in Chicago. Freshii plans to open five new stores in Chicago this year as well as one in Los Angeles, and Corrin is looking for franchise partners in affluent urban areas across Canada. “My eyes are laser focused on 1,000 stores,” he said, adding that investors as far away as Russia are interested in the franchise.
