Krispy Kreme lays off over 100 people at one of its NC doughnut manufacturing sites
Doughnut giant Krispy Kreme is closing a North Carolina facility and laying off over 100 people.
Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corp. is permanently closing its 315 Wilshire Ave. SW facility in Concord, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) filed with the North Carolina Department of Commerce. The 102 layoffs are effective May 11, according to the report.
The facility makes pre-packaged doughnuts for snack aisles, a product that launched in 2020, according to Krispy Kreme.
“Our fresh daily doughnut business is strong, profitable and growing quickly. This is the area where we are focusing our investments and resources,” Krispy Kreme said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer Wednesday. “Because of this, we chose to exit our under-performing, snack aisle business and cease production at our manufacturing facility in Concord.”
The majority of jobs affected include doughnut packers, makers and distributors, as well as maintenance, supervisors and managers, according to Krispy Kreme’s letter received Monday by the Department of Commerce.
The Concord site employees are eligible to apply for any open position or for severance and outplacement services.
About Krispy Kreme
The 84-year-old doughnut company started in Winston-Salem and moved its corporate offices and test kitchen to Charlotte’s South End three years ago at 2116 Hawkins St.
Krispy Kreme is best known for its “Hot Now” glazed doughnuts. But last year, it also debuted soft-serve ice cream in a few markets, including around Charlotte.
The company’s net revenue grew 9.2% in the fourth quarter last year to $404.6 million, Krispy Kreme reported last month. For the full year 2022, net revenue grew 10.5% to $1.5 billion.
This year, Krispy Kreme expects to open in five to seven new countries, including in France, CEO Mike Tattersfield has said.
The publicly-traded chain operates in over 30 countries. It has plans to open franchise shops in Chile, Costa Rica, Jordan and Switzerland.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Krispy Kreme lays off over 100 people at one of its NC doughnut manufacturing sites."