Happy Belly Food Group Inc., a leading consolidator of emerging food brands, has announced a major expansion of its Heal Wellness brand in Atlantic Canada.
The company has signed an area development agreement to bring 20 new Heal Wellness locations to the Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and Labrador. This marks another significant step in the company’s growth strategy, with plans to further solidify Heal Wellness as a national brand in Canada.
“We are excited to continue the expansion of Heal Wellness across Canada,” said Sean Black, CEO of Happy Belly Food Group. “Leveraging the strong franchising interest and area development agreements established in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, we look forward to expanding Heal into a leading national brand.
“By incorporating four additional provinces and securing 20 more units under development, our rollout now totals 120 contractually committed Heal Wellness units across eight provinces. Our plan is to have Heal become a recognized national brand in every province across Canada.”
Heal Wellness is known for its fresh smoothie bowls, acai bowls, and smoothies, offering healthy and energizing food options for customers with busy, active lifestyles. The addition of 20 new locations will contribute to the growing footprint of the company’s emerging brands, further strengthening its national presence, said the company.
Happy Belly’s expansion strategy is guided by a commitment to disciplined growth. The company now has a total of 521 units under development agreements across its brand portfolio, including both existing and upcoming locations.
“This is another step forward in our mission to becoming a predictable and disciplined growth company,” Black added. “Happy Belly currently has 521 contractually committed retail franchise locations from area developers across all emerging brands in the Happy Belly Food Group portfolio. We are working to actively expand this pipeline significantly in 2025 and 2026 with our disciplined approach to growth.”
The strategic expansion of Heal Wellness in Atlantic Canada is supported by an experienced area development team. David Wilson will oversee the Atlantic Canada region, joining Scott Grandin in Central Canada and Stephen Travers in Western Canada.
“Our area developer team continues to get stronger with David Wilson now overseeing Atlantic Canada,” Black said. “This strategic move sets the course for growth of the Heal Wellness brand over the coming years, as we continue to focus on delivering organic development in our backyard and expanding our national footprint.”
The expansion also marks the beginning of Happy Belly Food Group’s continued effort to secure prime real estate for its locations. Black emphasized, “We believe our multi-branded portfolio will continue to deliver strong results and help us continue to secure some of the best available real estate in the country.”
Related Retail Insider stories:
