CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Krispy Kreme is celebrating 85 years in business by giving away 8,500 gift cards in what will amount to 8,500 years of doughnuts.
Beginning Monday, July 11, through Thursday, July 14, every participating Krispy Kreme shop in the U.S. will randomly select multiple guests each day to receive a Krispy Kreme 85th birthday card worth free Original Glazed doughnuts for a year, entitling them to one dozen doughnuts per month through June 2023.
As part of the celebration, on Friday, July 15, Krispy Kreme customers can purchase an Original Glazed dozen for 85 cents with the purchase of any regularly priced dozen.
“We love celebrating Krispy Kreme’s birthday every year with our fans. But this year is special, we’re turning 85! So we’re going to have a weeklong celebration by giving 8,500 people a year’s worth of free Original Glazed doughnuts,” said Dave Skena, Krispy Kreme chief marketing officer. “And on Friday you can get a dozen Original Glazed doughnuts for just 85 cents when you buy any dozen.”
As part of its “Sweet New Deal” for America announced in June, Krispy Kreme is offering guests through Labor Day a free Original Glazed doughnut at all shops that have a Hot Light any time the Hot Light is on with no purchase necessary.
Krispy Kreme also is continuing its Beat the Pump promotion as part of the Sweet New Deal, setting the price for a dozen Original Glazed doughnuts based on the national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline, each Wednesday through August 31. Guests can get up to two dozen Original Glazed doughnuts at participating shops, via drive-thru and for pick-up by ordering online and through the Krispy Kreme app.
The company has said that it plans to open dark shops for its doughnuts, accessible to e-commerce delivery drivers only. The dark shops were tested in the U.K. last year and were successful, with more than 50 delivery-only dark shops expanding consumer access to fresh donuts. Krispy Kreme plans on bringing the concept to the U.S. and Mexico markets in 2022, following customer feedback that freshness is a key factor in sweet treat purchasing decisions.
“Our dark shops will piggyback on existing spoke routes, which ensures a fresh donut distribution daily and opens up further access to more customers,” said Michael J. Tattersfield, president and chief executive officer of Krispy Kreme, on a fourth-quarter earnings call. “We believe these initiatives will generate double-digit organic revenue growth this year.”
Krispy Kreme purchased Insomnia Cookies in 2018, which is a late-night fresh cookie delivery business that operates out of retail storefronts, and Krispy Kreme has seen promising growth in the e-commerce sector since the acquisition. Revenue for Insomnia rose more than 30% overall and nearly 20% excluding new store revenue.
Tattersfield said that Krispy Kreme hopes to capitalize on the appeal of freshness and convenience delivered directly to customers within a 20-minute range of a dark shop.