Golden Swirl Inc., the Salt Lake-based frozen yogurt company that operates 80 retail stores throughout the Western United States, has begun a $1 million remodeling and repositioning of its stores, including adding several new products to its menu.

"Food is faddish and cyclical," said Mike Glauser, president of the company founded 10 years ago with two stores in the Valley Fair Mall and Crossroads Plaza."We were one of the first yogurt stores and have seen it go from a fast start to a stable industry. Now we're in California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, as well as Utah, with annual sales of $12 million to $13 million."

Golden Swirl is privately held by a small group of stockholders with Glauser as majority shareholder. It employs some 500 people and will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in November. It also manufactures and sells yogurt wholesale under the Northern Lights label, which is shipped across the United States and overseas.

Glauser terms the project now under way a "re-invention and revitalization" of the company.

"It's a whole new store concept," he said. "We will remodel this winter and reopen in early March as a new business."

The stores will retain the Golden Swirl name but will be subtitled "Juices, Smoothies and Yogurt," said Glauser.

"We're expanding beyond the concept of a healthy dessert," he said, by offering a "full meal in a cup."

The product, called a "smoothie," combines fresh fruits, vegetables and juices into what Glauser terms "a nonfat, high-in-nutrients full meal in itself."

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Glauser said the company used a computer program to determine the ingredients with the highest nutritional value.

The stores also will offer a full line of yogurt along with fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

"What we're finding," said Glauser, "is that people buy smoothies during the day and then yogurt and shakes in the evening."

Golden Swirl has opened a new store at 80 E. 10600 South - the 17th store in Utah - that features the new concepts. Grand opening is set for Friday, Nov. 1. Free yogurt will be offered during the day and free smoothies from 6 p.m. to closing.

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