Dunkin’ to Permanently Close 800 Stores Nationwide
This may be the most disappointing news since the franchise dropped the second part of its name.
Dunkin’ plans to permanently close 800 stores across the U.S. in 2020, amounting to 8% of locations nationwide. More than half of the closures are locations in Speedway gas stations, which have limited menus and represented approximately 2% of the company’s systemwide sales in 2019. The closures come with the end of the partnership between Dunkin’ and Hess, which was acquired by Speedway in 2014. The closing locations are considered to be ‘low-volume’ according to Business Insider.
The decision to close the 450 Speedway locations was announced earlier this year, but last week a representative from the company stated that Dunkin’ has identified an additional 350 stores that it is planning to close.
Like many restaurant chains, the Coronavirus took a hard hit on Dunkin’. As of July 25th, 96% of Dunkin’ locations had reopened, leaving the remaining temporarily closed operations in mostly transportation hubs and sports venues. In response to the pandemic, the chain partnered with Post to create two coffee-flavored cereals each containing small amounts of caffeine. They also started offering DIY donut kits at select stores.
With the announced closings, the coffee conglomerate hopes to invest in remodels and restaurants in higher-traffic areas, as well as position themselves and their franchisees “for more profitable future growth”.
Written by Brianna Pisacane
Brianna joined WJBR as a digital content producer intern in June 2020 after graduating with latin honors from the University of Delaware. Her interests extend into the areas of writing, journalism, marketing and production. She previously worked as an intern at The Biden Institute where she prepared daily news briefings and developed content for the organization’s digital platforms.