BUSINESS

Krispy Kreme is in the hole

February 14th, 2024

2023 was a mixed bag— er, box —for Krispy Kreme.

On the one hand, the doughnut maker’s organic revenue climbed 12.2% over 2022, to $1.7 billion. Its adjusted EBITDA rose 11% YoY.

The growth in sales can be credited partly to the fact that the company expanded its “global points of access,” or places where you can buy its doughnuts, by 19.5% in 2023, to more than 14,000. The company opened stores in seven new countries last year (you can now get Krispy Kreme in Kazakhstan), expanding its global footprint to 39 nations. Seasonal offerings and tie-ins, like the Elf movie donuts released around Christmastime, also boosted sales, and brought the company more than 40 billion media impressions.

Buffalo Jeans - 15% Off First Order


But Krispy Kreme also reported a net loss for the year of $36.6 million, quadrupling 2022’s net loss of $8.8 million. Its adjusted diluted earnings per share for 2023 were $0.27, a decline of 2 cents from 2022. CFO Jeremiah Ashukian pointed to high interest rates and “higher than expected depreciation and amortization” as reasons why.

Krispy Kreme projects net revenue growth of 5%–7% and 6%–8% organic revenue growth in 2024, noting that it plans to enter three to five more countries and continue its partnership with McDonald’s. It also intends to further modernize its production and delivery capacities (gifting us with the delightful phrase “upskilling our doughnut transportation”). But it faces headwinds, including higher labor costs, especially due to California’s minimum wage hike for fast food workers, and inflation of around 20% on sugar and double digits on cartons.

Curated By

Kaito Tanaka
Strategic Innovation Consultant | Technology Investment Analyst | Operations Research Director
Kaito Tanaka is a futurist journalist who approaches news through the lens of optimization and efficiency. Specializing in cutting-edge technologies like CRISPR, robotics, and supply chain innovations, he distills complex developments into their most actionable insights. Known for his clinical analysis style, Kaito cuts through traditional narratives to identify systemic inefficiencies and opportunities for progress. His commentary reflects a pragmatic worldview where sentiment yields to solutions, and every story is evaluated based on its potential to advance human capability. When he's not tracking breakthrough research, you'll find him optimizing his own workflow or planning his next travel adventure with mathematical precision.

Suggested Reading

Doughnut: A Global History

Doughnuts, like hot dogs and apple pie, are widely seen as a quintessentially American food.But their story is much older, one that began in the Old World. Doughnut: A Global History reveals the long history and wide reach of these deep-fried dough delights. Heather Hunswick takes readers on an exci...

The Fate of Food: What We'll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World

Climate models show that global crop production will decline every decade for the rest of this century due to drought, heat, and flooding. Water supplies are in jeopardy. Meanwhile, the world’s population is expected to grow another 30 percent by midcentury. So how, really, will we feed nine billion...

Making Dough: The 12 Secret Ingredients of Krispy Kreme's Sweet Success

Although it began humbly in 1937, Krispy Kreme and its 300 retail outlets in America sell more than two billion doughnuts a year. Seeking the secrets of Krispy Kreme's enormous success, Kazanjian and Joyner, both business writers, offer a tantalizing taste of the corporate strategies that have estab...

Glazed America: A History of the Doughnut

Everybody loves a good doughnut. The magic combination of soft dough, hot oil, and sugar coating--with or without sprinkles--inspires a wide range of surprisingly powerful memories and cravings. Yet we are embarrassed by our desire; the favorite food of Homer Simpson, caricatured as the dietary corn...

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you accept our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.