Smoothies: the new coffee wars?

In the 80s, fast-food burger joints flooded UK town centres.

By the 90s, coffee shops took their place on every street corner.

But now that the noughties are well established, the new fast food fight is on a rather healthier battlefield.

Warnings about obesity and increased awareness of the importance of eating five fruit a day have fuelled a surge in healthy eating.

The UK smoothie market is worth £100m and doubling yearly.
London's Crussh, which opened its 15th branch just off Oxford Street in October, is the UK's biggest smoothie chain. The firm, now eight years old, expects to turn over more than £5m this year.

Boost Juice Bars, which has nearly 200 outlets stretching from Australia to Kuwait, is set to enter the market, with plans to open bars in Manchester, Oxford and Nottingham by March 2007.

The firm recently signed a deal with former Millie's Cookies owner Richard O'Sullivan to bring the brand to the UK.

And although the world's largest smoothie chain, US-based Jamba Juice, has yet to enter the UK market, chains such as Love Juice and Fruit Boost are also expanding.

BBC: Read more here.