Krispy Kreme jobs delight for Great Bridge

A doughnut-making firm has opened a new production site in the West Midlands, creating 24 jobs.

American-owned Krispy Kreme has moved into the 3,638sq ft factory at the Black Country Park in Great Bridge, taking on a 10-year lease at the site.

The firm has 46 outlets across the UK including Selfridges at the Bullring in Birmingham. Many motorway service stations also carry the products.

It started off as a small shop in North Carolina in the USA more than 70 years ago, selling doughnuts to its regular customers.

But since then Krispy Kreme has gone global, serving more than 50 million doughnuts last year.

Council bosses today welcomed the news. Councillor Derek Rowley, the borough's jobs chief, said: "Any company coming into Sandwell and creating jobs is good news to me.

"That location is great for both the M6 and M5 motorways so it is no surprise they have chosen there.

"We are currently creating a £25 million underpass in West Bromwich just to help business growth in the borough so this is good to see."

Judith Denby, chief marketing officer at Krispy Kreme UK in Camberley Surrey, added: "The new skilled product team have completed training and are now working around the clock to produce and hand-finish our much-loved doughnuts to ensure each and every one tastes delicious.

"It will make and deliver fresh doughnuts every day to nearby Krispy Kreme stores, including the new coffee bar at Westfield Merry Hill and local Tesco in-store cabinets, guaranteeing our customers get the fresh doughnuts they expect from Krispy Kreme."

The American giant's products are sold in Krispy Kreme stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, garages, Wal-Mart and Target stores in the United States.

In the UK Roadchef, Welcome Break and Moto motorway service stations also carry the products.

Last year Krispy Kreme also served one million cups of coffee.

Birmingham property agents Colliers International advised landlord Mitre Capital Partners Limited on the letting.

John Roberts, director at Colliers International, said: "Black Country Park has excellent communication links and this together with our client's flexible approach meant Krispy Kreme decided on this location above the many other schemes that are available in the area."

While selling assorted types of doughnuts, Krispy Kreme's signature item is a glazed doughnut that is traditionally served warm. Krispy Kreme's founder Mr Rudolph and his uncle purchased Joseph LeBeouf's doughnut shop in Paducah, Kentucky along with a secret recipe for yeast-raised doughnuts in 1933 acquired from a New York businessman. Mr Rudolph delivered them on his bicycle.

The operation was moved to Nashville, Tennessee and other family members joined to meet the customer demand.

Expansion occurred in the 1950s. The first Krispy Kreme store to open outside North America was in Penrith, Australia.

Besides the stores in America and Canada, there are also locations in Lebanon, Turkey, Kuwait, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, China, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

In August 2011, Krispy Kreme's Japan operation planned to increase the number of stores from 21 to 94, and its Mexico operation announced the number of stores would increase from 58 to 128 in five years.

In the UK Krispy Kreme continues its expansion and has plans and funding in place to open further stores this year.

• Krispy Kreme offers 15 basic different varieties of doughnuts in the UK 30 in the US

• The first Krispy Kreme store opened in the UK at Watford in 2004

• An online ordering and delivery service has been launched. It only covers London at the moment

• There will be a chance to try doughnuts for free when Krispy Kreme’s summer road trip to mark the company’s 75th anniversary visit the Merry Hill on August 1 from 4pm

• Krispy Kreme doughnuts were first sold in 1937 in the US

• In the United States 7.5 million doughnuts are made each day and 1.3 million pounds of sprinkles are used each year along with enough chocolate to fill five Olympic-sized swimming pools

By John Corser