Frozen yogurt company expanding in local malls

Yogen Fruz, which features healthy, tart-tasting frozen yogurt, is expanding to area malls.

The Canadian company opened at Yorktown Center last week after making its U.S. debut at Woodfield Shopping Center in the spring.

The frozen yogurt chain, also already in Orland Park, has plans to launch 10 more stores in the state by year-end. Westfield Fox Valley in Aurora will have a store by mid-August. Others are expected by fall at 303 W. Madison St. in Chicago, in Michael's Red Hots in Highland Park, and in Champaign, said Jerry Isaacson, charged with leading the Yogen Fruz franchise effort in Illinois.

Leases are currently being negotiated in several other locations including Gurnee and Evanston, Isaacson said.

The yogurt product bombarding this area features live yogurt cultures, or probiotics, said to aid the digestive process and fight disease. Many are low or nonfat and have very little sugar. Fresh fruit is blended in or drizzled on.

The company, which was founded in 1986, has locations around the world, including in Taiwan, Venezuela and Guatemala.

Brothers Aaron and Michael Surruya were 19 and 20 when they launched the yogurt business in Toronto. It has grown to more than 1,100 stores in more than 20 countries.

A handful of other frozen yogurt entrepreneurs are also making a dent with the cooling treats. Red Mango and Pinkberry are big players based in California that are headed this way. Expect more competition soon.

Musical mix: Kohl's Department stores are coming out with a celebrity-inspired product line.

Its 2008 back-to-school marketing campaign is designed to appeal to a cross-generational group of shoppers. The Kohl's Inspired by the Artists campaign connects top musical artists with various brands, including: Lenny Kravitz and Levi's; Avril Lavigne designing Abbey Dawn; Hayden Panettiere and Candie's; Plain White T's and Urban Pipeline; The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Tony Hawk; and Vanessa Carlton. The cross-generational program is designed to appeal not only to teens, but also to moms, as both groups influence purchasing decisions during this time frame. Denim, the common thread throughout the Inspired campaign, speaks universally to both of these groups.

The new song "Love Revolution," by Lenny Kravitz, is incorporated into campaign elements.

• Kim Mikus covers retail. She welcomes comments at (847) 427-4567 or at kmikus@ dailyherald.com.