Swirll, a Texas-based frozen yogurt shop, has closed the second of its three Atlanta area locations.
The frozen yogurt franchise opened in Buckhead at Wieuca-Roswell Shopping Center, TOWN Brookhaven, and Perimeter Place in Dunwoody, and now only their TOWN Brookhaven store remains open. The Buckhead location closed in July and the Dunwoody location closed about two weeks ago.
I placed all Atlanta area Swirll locations on DeathWatch earlier this year given their poor service, inferior flavor selection and less than ideal locations. While its closure is sad, it's not a surprise. This concept was as generic as they come, and did nothing to differentiate itself from area competitors, all of which, for the most part, offer a similar product at a similar price. In such a competitive market, selling such a commodity item, differentiation is essential to success.
Encino, California-based Menchies, another frozen yogurt shop, closed its West Paces Ferry location last month and is rumored to be on the verge of closing others in the metro soon.
Are the polar icecaps covering Atlanta in a froyo freeze finally melting, or is this merely a correction in an overly saturated market? What are your thoughts on the frozen yogurt offerings in Atlanta? What is your favorite froyo shop?