CANTON, Mass., Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Dunkin' Donuts, one of the world's leading coffee and baked goods chains, today announced that it has signed agreements with two franchise groups to begin developing Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the United Kingdom. The two agreements call for the development of 50 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Greater London over the next five years, with an initial focus on North London and East London. The chain is also in advanced discussions with additional franchise partners to help develop a total of 150 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the UK over the next five years, which includes the two signed agreements.

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The Court Group, chaired by UK businessman David Sheepshanks, CBE, has signed a franchise agreement with Dunkin' Donuts to open 25 restaurants in East London over the next five years.  DDMG Ltd., a partnership formed by three experienced US Dunkin' Donuts franchisees from the Baltimore/Philadelphia area and two local UK operators, has signed an agreement to develop 25 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in North London over the next five years.

"We feel there is significant opportunity for Dunkin' Donuts in the UK, and we have had a tremendous response from potential franchisees interested in developing the brand across the country," said Giorgio Minardi, President, Dunkin' Brands International. "We are especially excited to begin the expansion of Dunkin' Donuts into the UK with The Court Group and DDMG Ltd., two experienced franchisees who have a deep passion for the brand and a solid understanding of the local market. We look forward to working with them to make Dunkin' Donuts' high-quality beverages, baked goods and sandwiches part of the way of life in the UK."

"Dunkin' Donuts is one of the world's most iconic brands, with a long history of offering high-quality beverages and baked goods at a great value for its guests around the world," said David Sheepshanks, CBE, Chairman of The Court Group. "We have significant experience in the UK across a number of businesses, and we look forward to leveraging that experience as we develop the Dunkin' Donuts brand in East London with the goal of becoming a destination of choice for the local communities around our stores."

"The UK is a dynamic market, and we believe that Dunkin' Donuts' innovative combination of great-tasting food and beverages served in a fast, friendly and fun environment will appeal to the people of Great Britain. We are excited about the opportunity to bring Dunkin' Donuts to North London, and we look forward to serving our guests Dunkin' Donuts' famous coffee and snacks to get them going in the morning and throughout the day," said Neil Patel, Director of DDMG Ltd.

Dunkin' Donuts currently has more than 10,500 restaurants in 31 countries around the world, including more than 100 locations across Europe in Bulgaria, Germany, Russia and Spain. Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the UK will feature the brand's wide range of coffees, teas, espresso-based beverages, Coolatta® frozen drinks, donuts, muffins, croissants and sandwiches. The brand will also offer regional menu items specific to the UK to cater to local tastes and options from its DDSMART^® lineup.

"As we develop the Dunkin' Donuts brand in the UK, we continue to look for qualified, multi-unit franchisee candidates who have a strong financial background, a deep knowledge of the local market, a proven track record of success in the restaurant industry and a desire to develop a minimum of 25 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in their market over the coming years," said Jim Johnstone, General Manager, UK, for Dunkin' Brands.

Dunkin' Donuts' sister brand, Baskin-Robbins, currently has 100 locations in the UK, including free-standing restaurants as well as concession locations in other shops and cinemas. The shops offer Baskin-Robbins' famous selection of ice cream flavors, including Mint Chocolate Chip, Pralines 'n Cream and Jamoca® Almond Fudge, as well as a wide array of frozen treats, including ice cream cakes, frozen beverages and ice cream sundaes. The chain recently introduced a delicious new lineup of 6" ice cream cakes in flavors including Hokey Pokey, Royale Chocolate and Strawberry Delight. Baskin-Robbins is also one of the main club partners of Leyton Orient Football Club for the upcoming season.

"Over the last 18 months, we have opened more than 10 new Baskin-Robbins locations with both existing and new franchisees. We are keen to continue the expansion of the Baskin-Robbins brand across the UK with multiple operators," added Jim Johnstone.

For more information about Dunkin' Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com, and for more information about Baskin-Robbins, visit www.baskinrobbins.com. For more information about franchising opportunities in the UK with both Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, please contact Jim Johnstone at james.johnstone@dunkinbrands.com.

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for seven years running. The company has more than 10,500 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. For the full-year 2012, Dunkin' Donuts' restaurants had global franchisee-reported sales of approximately $6.9 billion. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin' Donuts is part of the Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.    

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains projections and other forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Generally, these statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "feel," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "project," "should," "would," and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. These projections and statements reflect management's current views with respect to future events and financial performance. No assurances can be given, however, that these events will occur or that these projections will be achieved, and actual results could differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risk factors. A discussion of these risk factors is included in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by applicable law, we do not undertake to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Dunkin' Donuts

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