US bakery firm Krispy Kreme appears keen to become part of the British establishment. The firm's first UK store was opened today at Harrods, the Knightsbridge department store famous for its opulence and glamour.
"Harrods has always sought to be innovative with its range of products and is renowned for bringing its customers the exclusive and the unique," said Harrods director of corporate communications Peter Willasey.
"Harrods is, therefore, delighted to be the first store in Europe to offer its customers the Krispy Kreme experience. The theatre and magic of shopping is very important to Harrods - customers want to be entertained while they shop - so Krispy Kreme fits perfectly in the Candy Room."
To promote the event, the company announced that it would be offering packs of goodies for the first 12 in line, and would even be supplying a year's supply of doughnuts to one lucky customer. No doubt Krispy Kreme was counting on Homer Simpson not being there.
As in other Krispy Kreme outlets, the store will include Krispy Kreme's doughnut-making theatre, which allows customers to see the doughnuts being made from start to finish. The store also will feature Krispy Kreme's traditional Hot Doughnuts Now sign, which when illuminated, announces to customers that doughnuts are coming right off the line.
Krispy Kreme's Harrods store will offer the company's original glazed doughnuts along with 14 additional varieties including iced, filled and cake doughnuts. The company says that it produces its own proprietary doughnut mix and manufactures its own proprietary doughnut-making equipment.
Founded in 1937, Krispy Kreme is a leading branded speciality retailer of premium quality doughnuts. Krispy Kreme currently has more than 315 retail locations in 41 US states, as well as Canada and Australia.
The company claims that 7.5 million Krispy Kreme doughnuts are made every day, and that more than 2.7 billion are produced each year. Krispy Kreme plan to open a further 24 stores over the next five years in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.