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Sweet UK debut for U.S. doughnut
LONDON, England (CNN) -- First it was hot dogs. Then the hamburger. Then came Ben and Jerry's and Starbucks. But the Americanization of the British diet carved another notch on its belt Friday with the opening of a store selling U.S.-style doughnuts in the exclusive London department store Harrods. The Krispy Kreme doughnut invasion of Britain and Ireland follows a successful incursion into Australia. Krispy Kreme plan 25 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland over the next five years. The product -- traditionally downed with a cup of "Joe", or coffee -- is something of an icon in the American South, with 14 varieties of the sweet, sticky, and incredibly stodgy treat including iced, filled and cake doughnuts. An estimated 7.5 million Krispy Kreme doughnuts are currently made every day and more than 2.7 billion are produced each year. The company is one of the fastest-growing fast food companies in the U.S., with revenues almost doubling in two years, from $220.2 million in 2000 to $491 million in 2003. A Krispy Kreme "Ring King junior" doughnut machine is even in the Smithsonian museum in Washington -- alongside Alan Alda's bathrobe from "M*A*S*H" -- with uniforms of the company's "salesgirls" and other memorabilia. To Americans, the company's 315 stores in 41 U.S. states evoke memories of a golden era and what historians have labelled a "mystical allure." Among the unique features of Krispy Kreme outlets is a "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign which lights up when the rings come off the production line. At Harrods as in outlets in the U.S., customers can watch the entire doughnut making miracle in what the company designates as "Krispy Kreme's doughnut making theatre." That takes care of those unable to fork out £6.95 ($11.60) for a box of 12. Traditionally, those in the U.S. unable to come up with the dough can at least watch the doughnuts (200 calories in the original glazed version) being made through the window. Despite criticism from nutritionists, the company hopes they can repeat the rapid growth of American-themed coffee outlets such as Starbucks in the UK by creating an entirely new market. Company chairman and CEO Scott Livingood told CNN: "Our stores open with a tremendous amount of excitement -- our largest sales weeks are always the first weeks." Peter Willasey, Harrods Director of Corporate Communications said: "Harrods is delighted to be the first store in Europe to offer its customers the Krispy Kreme experience. The 'theatre' and magic of shopping is very important to Harrods -- customers want to be entertained while they shop -- so Krispy Kreme fits perfectly in the Candy Room." The company was founded in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The secret recipe used for the doughnuts is attributed to Joe LeBeau of Paducah, Kentucky.
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