Dunkin’ Donuts to open 100 shops in China

updated 2:13 p.m. ET Jan. 27, 2008

CANTON, Massachusetts - Dunkin' Donuts said it plans to open its first shop in Shanghai, China, this spring, with 100 more Chinese franchise locations planned over the next 10 years.

The Canton-based seller of coffee and baked goods also plans an additional 10 shops this year in Taiwan, where it opened its first location in January 2007. Dunkin' Donuts now has 10 shops in Taipei, Taiwan, operated by franchise partner Mercuries & Associates.

Dunkin' Donuts recently granted Taiwan-based Mercuries franchise rights in Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhijiang.

The mainland China shops will offer coffee, espresso, teas and frozen drinks, along with doughnuts, bagels and other baked goods. The shops also will serve items customized for local tastes such as green tea and honeydew melon doughnuts, as well as mochi rings, which are similar to cake doughnuts but made with rice flour indigenous to the region.

Dunkin' Donuts, a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands Inc., calls itself "the number one retailer of hot regular coffee by the cup" in the United States. It has nearly 7,900 restaurants in 31 countries, mostly in the United States. Dunkin's chief rival is Seattle-based Starbucks Corp., with more than 15,000 stores in 44 countries.

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