Krispy Kreme has already run into trouble with the deputy mayor of Paris after opening its first store in the French capital this week.
The opening saw hundreds of Parisians flock to Krispy Kreme’s
DNUT,
new shop, which occupies a site that previously housed a restaurant run by Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse.
The North Carolina doughnut purveyor’s arrival in Paris, however, also attracted the ire of Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, after the business put up a series of posters on the streets of Paris.
The Socialist Party politician slammed Krispy Kreme’s poster campaign for “littering the streets,” which he described as “illegal, polluting and costly for the community.” The so-called guerrilla marketing tactic of flyposting is illegal under French law.
“Prepare to get a big fine!” Grégoire said in response to a tweet celebrating the campaign that read: “Prepare to change your diet with @KrispyKremeFrr.”
The poster campaign was developed by advertising agency Buzzman Time, which has previously designed marketing campaigns for Burger King and Uber Eats.
The opening of Krispy Kreme’s Paris store marks the company’s first foray into France, which is now the second-biggest fast-food market in the world.
The New York–listed company, which was founded in 1937, plans to build 500 doughnut stalls across France over the next five years. Krispy Kreme doughnuts are currently available in 38 countries, including Cambodia, Myanmar and Kazakhstan. Its 379 locations in the U.S. are in 41 states and the District of Columbia.
According to its most recent financial results, Krispy Kreme generated $407 million in revenue in the third quarter of 2023, a 7.9% increase over the previous year.
Krispy Kreme and Buzzman Time have not responded to a request by MarketWatch for comment.
