Houston is tasting sweeter success with Shipley Do-Nuts marking a record-setting 2023, topping 350 stores across the nation for the first time in its 87-year history, an announcement made by the company revealed. The Houston-based doughnut empire saw its same-store sales increase by 6.3% compared to the previous year, as reported in the Houston Chronicle.
Under the confectionery radar, Shipley sweetened its portfolio with 19 new locations last year. The expansion spree struck a chord in Maryland and Georgia, initiated in January and March, respectively. According to QSR Magazine, CEO Flynn Dekker stated, “Shipley has covered an incredible distance in 2023 overall with the systemwide launch of online ordering and loyalty and a new marketing co-op to better serve and communicate with our customers.” With the brand's sights on 2024, the doughnut chain has ambitious plans to fry up roughly 30 more stores.
Expanding beyond its Texan stronghold, Shipley has unrolled plans for new stores in states like Colorado and charted a course for more outlets in the Midwest, including Indiana, Ohio, and others. Incentives for new franchisees have been whipped up with offers like reduced royalties for those who set up shop within 14 months, the Houston Chronicle highlighted.
Fueling their growth, Shipley brought on Keith Sizemore as the new Senior Vice President of Development in the fourth quarter, his experience at Marco's Pizza lending a seasoned hand to the doughnut dealer's expansion. "Bringing Keith on board will help us keep our momentum going into 2024 after a year that has included successful new state entries like Maryland and Georgia and new market entries in Colorado Springs and Orlando," Dekker beamed in a statement obtained by QSR Magazine.
The company spun sugar into gold with their new Do-Happy Rewards loyalty program introduced in July, already boasting 70,000 doughnut-devoted members by year's end as mentioned by Donna Josephson, Shipley's Chief Marketing Officer, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. The program seems to be the cherry on top for Shipley's digital sales as they continue to serve up their historical fare of hand-cut doughnuts which began at a humble stand in 1936.
