Sydney: Australia's Krispy Kreme Export Hub

Sydney seems to have become the Australian Export hub for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

I was in Sydney this week, and I noticed that two of the seven Sydney stores are at the airport!  And given that they don't have any stores anywhere else in Australia, that means that two of the seven stores, or about 28% of Australian Krispy Kreme Stores are at Sydney Airport....one right at the Virgin Blue departures gate.  Now that's clever.

Why?

Well, for interstate travellers like me, there is an aura of mystique about Krispy Kreme, their stores and their doughnuts.   Most of us have heard of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, but have probably never visited a store, let alone wrapped our mouth around one of their famous super-sweet glazed doughnuts.  Thus travellers are drawn, out of curiosity if nothing else, to the store at the airport to watch the doughnuts being made, to taste some samples, and to buy a box (or two) to take home with us (if the straw poll on my flight is anything to go by, about one in three passenegers will do just that).  The guys at KK put them all in a box, and then into a carry bag that you can take onto the plane with you. It's great fun, and you can't wait to get home to tell others about it.  It's all about the experience.  Of course when back home, we'll either gorge on the doughnuts ourselves or share them with others; relating the experience (which given the scarcity of locations is both unique and exclusive), furthering the buzz and continuing the mystique that exists around Krispy Kreme.  Peter Davidson noted recently:

"The key is for Krispy Kreme to understand that they are selling more than just doughnuts. They need to understand that they are selling experiences. The excitement in the eyes of a child when told they're going to go get Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. The experience of presenting a box of KK Doughnuts to someone who loves them. The experience of a warm sweet doughnut on the tongue. Savoring the last bight of the last one in the box. These are the moments they are selling. Not just another box of doughnuts on the shelf."

Far from the dilution of the branch that appears to be happening in the US (where you can buy them in Supermarkets), in Australia, the folks at Krispy Kreme seem to understand what Peter suggests, and deliver an "experience" to many Australians, via two key locations at our busiest airport.

Comments

[Nathan Waters]

haha nice, I'm just doing a uni assignment on Krispy Kreme... currently trying to find out if all their Aus stores are producing donuts on-site and whether or not KK's are in supermarkets here in Aus.

... since those two points are a big cause of some problems KK had in the US.

Good point about the airport too. I think KK wasn't too concerned about the travelling with KK donuts experience, but probably looked more at:

1) there's a lot of traffic through the airport
2) very few Australians know of Krispy Kreme. So if foreign travellers (such as Yanks) fly in and they're all gathering around the KK shop to grab some donuts... the Aussies see this, get talking and after a while the KK quality and experience stigma sticks with them as well.... "social proof" :)

cheers
nathan