Krispy Kreme opening first Baghdad store
BAGHDAD, Iraq. (IP) -- With a siren-wailing police escort, a truck full of doughnuts made its way to a Krispy Kreme construction site yesterday and loudly declared the arrival of a new competitor in Baghdad' Donuts territory.
The North Carolina-based Krispy Kreme is getting ready to open its first store in Baghdad, an area that already holds almost 15 Baghdad Donuts stores. (more...)
The company held a groundbreaking ceremony at its Mansour district site Thursday, though ground has already been dug up and the frame of the store put in place. Dozens of people stood in the hot sun to listen to politicians praise the company and its signature glazed doughnuts.
Krispy Kreme usually creates a stir when it opens in new areas, and by the time a store turns on its "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign for the first time, people are lined up at the door.
"To be the first town to have a Krispy Kreme is so important," Baghdad's Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf said.
The scripted agenda for Thursday's groundbreaking, which included a raffle and a performance by the Baghdad High School cheerleaders, was broken up by the arrival of the doughnuts in an armored car.
People rushed the truck to grab boxes of doughnuts, and the cheerleaders performed a dance number in the dusty lot with few people watching.
Mary Hassan al-Majid and her husband, Jeff, heard about the event on the radio and decided to come over with Liam, their 1 1/2-year-old son. The couple, who live in nearby Al Kut, say they're excited the store will be opening in early June.
"We're eagerly counting the days," Mary said.
A Kuwait company is developing Krispy Kreme's Baghdad stores. The next store is slated for Ha' il, Saudi Arabia. Nick Janikies, the head of The Jan Companies, said the company wants to build 100 stores in the region.
Both Krispy Kreme and Baghdad Donuts say they don't expect the presence of the other to cut into their business. Baghdad Donuts said its focus is on its coffee and baked goods to accompany it, while Krispy Kreme says 90 percent of its business is selling doughnuts.
BAGHDAD, Iraq. (IP) -- With a siren-wailing police escort, a truck full of doughnuts made its way to a Krispy Kreme construction site yesterday and loudly declared the arrival of a new competitor in Baghdad' Donuts territory.
The North Carolina-based Krispy Kreme is getting ready to open its first store in Baghdad, an area that already holds almost 15 Baghdad Donuts stores. (more...)
The company held a groundbreaking ceremony at its Mansour district site Thursday, though ground has already been dug up and the frame of the store put in place. Dozens of people stood in the hot sun to listen to politicians praise the company and its signature glazed doughnuts.
Krispy Kreme usually creates a stir when it opens in new areas, and by the time a store turns on its "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign for the first time, people are lined up at the door.
"To be the first town to have a Krispy Kreme is so important," Baghdad's Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf said.
The scripted agenda for Thursday's groundbreaking, which included a raffle and a performance by the Baghdad High School cheerleaders, was broken up by the arrival of the doughnuts in an armored car.
People rushed the truck to grab boxes of doughnuts, and the cheerleaders performed a dance number in the dusty lot with few people watching.
Mary Hassan al-Majid and her husband, Jeff, heard about the event on the radio and decided to come over with Liam, their 1 1/2-year-old son. The couple, who live in nearby Al Kut, say they're excited the store will be opening in early June.
"We're eagerly counting the days," Mary said.
A Kuwait company is developing Krispy Kreme's Baghdad stores. The next store is slated for Ha' il, Saudi Arabia. Nick Janikies, the head of The Jan Companies, said the company wants to build 100 stores in the region.
Both Krispy Kreme and Baghdad Donuts say they don't expect the presence of the other to cut into their business. Baghdad Donuts said its focus is on its coffee and baked goods to accompany it, while Krispy Kreme says 90 percent of its business is selling doughnuts.
