Reply #12: Meanwhile, at Dunkin' Donuts...

[LeighAnn]

This has got me taking a fresh look at The Carlyle Group... for some reason Dunkin' Donuts came to mind. Carlyle bought Dunkin' Donuts in 2006

http://www.carlyle.com/Portfolio/item7440.html << (this is current)


And here's some Dunkin' Donuts news that just came out today:

http://www.boston.com/business/markets/articles/2011/09/07/bank_rates_dunkin_donuts_a_sell/

Dunkin’ Brands Group was initiated with a "sell" rating by Goldman Sachs Group, one of the banks that managed the coffee and doughnut chain’s initial public offering in July.

<snip>

Weak consumer sentiment may curb Dunkin’s sales, “despite a boost" from the introduction of single-serve K-Cups, Michael Kelter, a Goldman Sachs analyst wrote in a note yesterday. Dunkin’s US business is "highly macro-sensitive against an uncertain economic backdrop," he said.

<end excerpt>

Here's where Dunkin' Donuts was when Carlyle bought it

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/061126/4equity.b.htm

Unlike some buyout targets, Dunkin' was not a troubled company with assets that could be readily carved up and sold. It didn't come cheap, either-the purchase price reflected an expectation of considerable future growth. What lured the buyers was a strong management team, a predictable flow of revenue from franchise fees, and bright growth prospects beyond Dunkin's home turf in the eastern United States, where most of its 7,100 worldwide stores are clustered. "If one thing sums up the opportunity," D'Aniello explains, "it's that 80 percent of our revenue comes from the geography between Boston and D.C."


Just another American institution they've tanked.

Watch all your right-wing acquaintances get in line to buy the new Carlyle stock, though!