A new deal by the Inspire Brands Inc. has begun a new chapter for the Dunkin Donuts chain.
Inspire Brands Inc, which is owned by the private-equity group Roark Capital, announced that they are purchasing Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins for an estimated $11.3 Billion.
The deal is considered the second-largest acquisition of a North American restaurant chain, according to The Wall Street Journal. The deal follows the $13.3 billion deal for Tim Hortons by the Restaurant Brand International Inc. back in 2014.
The purchase of the donut chain means that Inspire Brands would also assume the company’s debt.T he private-equity firm will pay $106.50 in cash for all of Dunkin’s shares, according to The Associated Press.
Inspire Brand’s CEO and co-founder Paul Brown released a statement, speaking highly of Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins, calling them “iconic restaurants.”
“Dunkin and Baskin-Robbins are category leaders with more than 70 years of rich heritage, and together they are two of the most iconic restaurant brands in the world,” he said.
Brown also stated that he believes the two brands will add “complementary guest experiences.” Dunkin Brands has over 12,500 locations in the United States and over 8,000 Baskin Robbins locations. Dunkin Brands CEO Dave Hoffmann also spoke about the acquisition. “We are excited to bring meaningful value to shareholders who have been with us on this journey and believe that Inspire Brands, a preeminent operator of franchised restaurant concepts, will continue to drive growth for our franchisees while remaining true to all that is unique and special about the Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins brands,” Hoffman said.
It was reported earlier this year that Dunkin had future plans to close nearly 450 locations inside Speedway gas stations. Brown said that he believes that consumers will go back to their routine coffee and donut consumption once the pandemic is over. He found the Dunkin Donuts drive-through feature “attractive.”
It is no secret that drive-throughs chains continued to operate effectively throughout this pandemic due to the ability to process limited contact purchases.
Dunkin is not the first restaurant chain that Inspires Brands has bought. The equity group also owns the Sonic Drive-In, Jimmy John’s and Rusty Taco.
The deal comes as the pandemic dramatically lowered restaurant sales. Dunkin’s sales fell 1.3% in its third quarter.
Inspire Brands’ deal is expected to close by the end of this year.
