2019 is off to a momentous start, as the last of the available Dunkin’ Donuts outlets shuttered its doors in Iceland, probably for good.
As Fréttablaðið reports, the last branch of Dunkin’ Donuts in Iceland, located in Kringlan, closed down at the start of the year. As such, there is no more Dunkin’ Donuts to be had in the country.
“The reason for this, first and foremost, is the operating costs were too high,” Sigurður Karlsson, the director of Basko, the company that was running the franchise in Iceland, told reporters. “The cost of production was too much and we had to face the fact that we either had to raise prices by a large degree, or shut it down.”
The news come some two months after the Laugavegur location, the largest and most popular Dunkin’ Donuts location, closed its doors.
When the shop opened in July 2015, opinions were decidedly mixed. There were high hopes for the American chain, but even with a full menu, the Laugavegur location was not able to pull in the proceeds needed to maintain the exclusive property.
It is highly unlikely that Dunkin’ Donuts will return to Iceland. If any rumours of its return do arise, however, we will be sure to exercise the same due diligence we did with McDonald’s—another American food franchise that, while once popular, became too expensive to keep open.
Donut lovers in Iceland will have to settle for the various and sundry Scandinavian pastries still available at any local bakery.
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