Beloved Donut Chain To Open 22 New Locations—Here's Where
This year has been filled with several major bakery chains announcing notable expansion plans. And if you're a fan of donuts, a new spot dedicated to this sweet treat could be coming to a city near you.
This week, the fast-growing, Houston-based donut chain Shipley Do-Nuts announced plans to open 22 new locations in Florida and Tennessee. The chain signed this franchise agreement with Virentes Hospitality, the hospitality arm of the private investment platform, Virentes Partners Group.
In 2025, Virentes aims to open three Shipley locations in Nashville, Tenn., and Jacksonville and Tampa, Fla. The recent development agreement is the largest deal of the year for the hospitality group.
Shipley currently has more than 360 locations across 12 states and is "on track to achieve back-to-back years or record openings," according to the chain. The popular dessert spot offers more than 60 types of handmade donuts, including glazed, iced, filled, and cake varieties. It also serves kolaches and coffee.
In 2024 alone, the chain added more than 110 units to its development pipeline. Additionally, it's slated to open locations in two new states—North Carolina and Virginia—during its first quarter of 2025.
"We exhaustively researched dozens of franchise concepts to expand our hospitality portfolio, and Shipley came out on top with craveable and highly differentiated products and an outstanding leadership team," Jim D'Aquila, managing member and chief investment officer at Virentes, said in a statement. "The Shipley team is committed to the brand and to franchisee success, with exceptional unit economics, a strong business model and opportunities for growth."
While it expands its presence nationally, Shipley noted that it has available markets in 46 states, adding that it's focused on the Southeast. The donut chain previously shared that it intends to double its store count over the next five years.
In October, Shipley announced that it added four new stores during Q3 2024. During this time, the chain also experienced its most successful product launch in company history: Egg & Cheese Kolaches. These come in three varieties: Egg & Cheese; Sausage, Egg & Cheese; and Jalapeño, Sausage, Egg & Cheese.
Shipley first launched these kolaches as limited-time offerings in July. After breaking sales records, they are now available as permanent menu items, in addition to the Bacon, Egg & Cheese variety, which will be sold as a limited-time item through Dec. 31, 2024.
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