Donut seller Dunkin’ resumes in the Netherlands

The Dutch branch of donut chain Dunkin‘ is making a partial restart. Following bankruptcy, a long-time friend is taking back control of the franchise.

Most shops stay open

Most Dutch shops of donut and coffee chain Dunkin’ will remain open, reports the liquidator of the bankrupt franchise branch. Some 200 to 250 jobs will also be preserved. Exactly which branches are involved is not yet known.

However, it is already certain that Nabil Besali will retake the chain. The entrepreneur already brought Dunkin’ back to the Netherlands in 2017, after an earlier attempt failed. The US doughnut concept had five branches in the Netherlands around 2000, but then pulled out due to lack of investors.

Dunkin’ has a difficult relationship with the Netherlands: its first opening in 2017 attracted long queues of shoppers, yet the chain continues to struggle to gain a foothold. Only last year, hotel family Van der Valk took a majority stake in the doughnut business, hoping to attract a young generation of future hotel guests, but that turned out to be wishful thinking.