LONDON - Dunkin€™ Donuts is hoping the time is right for a British invasion. The doughnut and coffee chain is banking that U.K. residents will embrace its breakfast sandwiches and coffee, The Telegraph reports. Dunkin€™ Donuts left the British Isles in the mid-1990s.
Nigel Travis, president of Dunkin€™ Brands, indicated recently that the company is going to open Dunkin€™ Donut and sister brand Baskin Robbins stores in Europe in the coming years. Currently, there are 356 Baskin Robbins and 91 Dunkin€™ Donut locations in Europe. Travis wants to increase those numbers by 300 to 400 stores within five years.
Travis, a Briton, thinks now is the right time for Dunkin€™ Donuts€™ return to British shores, saying he€™s found "enormous interest" in the brand. He will have steep competition from established Greggs, McDonald€™s and Starbucks, which will open 300 new units in the United Kingdom. Krispy Kreme entered the United Kingdom in 2003, but is now closing 50 outlets.
Dunkin€™ also has its sights on Germany, and Travis sees "terrific opportunities" for expansion into Spain as well. "We think this is a great time so we can get in at a difficult time and build up. We actually think Europe is a terrific opportunity for us now," he said.