Taste for Krispy Kreme sees store roll-out plan

The US chain, which opened its first store at Junction 27 by the M62 near Leeds in the summer, opened the Meadowhall shop in Sheffield at 10am yesterday to a queue of over 50 waiting customers, including one man who had arrived at 5am to be the first to buy a doughnut.

The firm said over 200 customers were served in the first hour.

Joint managing director Richard Cheshire said he was looking at opening further stores in Hull, York and Leeds city centre as part of the group’s plan to double its number of stores to 100 in the next five years.

“I have been looking at sites in York and Hull because we have had lots of messages on our Facebook page from people who live in these cities asking when we are going to open there,” he said.

“We would also like to be part of the new Trinity Leeds shopping centre when it opens. There are lots of opportunities to build up local stores in the Yorkshire area.”

Krispy Kreme, which is predicting a 20 per cent rise in turnover to £40m this year, employs 900 staff including 70 in Yorkshire.

The Leeds store has a manufacturing facility which is visible to customers and will serve as a hub for future stores in the Yorkshire region.

Mr Cheshire said: “We are a growing business. We have been in the UK for seven years and we are working really hard to create an experience that customers love and it works.

“We have a great deal of confidence that now is the right time to expand.”

The calorific doughnuts, which contain up to 380 calories each, appear to be growing in popularity in the UK despite the Government’s drive for healthy eating.

The number one selling doughnut is the original glazed, which has 217 calories.

But Mr Cheshire insisted they were to be eaten as an occasional treat. “Customers visit us on average seven times a year,” he said.

Although Krispy Kreme is now a successful business, it went through a difficult time a few years ago when sales fell and stores were closed in the US.

However, Mr Cheshire insisted Krispy Kreme had learned from its past mistakes.

“Every brand learns along the way, trying different things, some which work and some which don’t,” he said.

“We are focused on the customer experience.”

He added: “We have the funding in place for further growth plans. From a customer point of view, these are difficult times but it’s great we can bring new jobs to the area.

“We always try to work hard. There is a possibility it’s more difficult at the moment but we are constantly focused whether the economy is good or bad.”