WASHINGTON — The parent company of Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins announced Sunday it's in the midst of discussions to be bought by restaurant operator Inspire Brands, according to a statement.
"There is no certainty that any agreement will be reached. The Company will not comment further unless and until a transaction is agreed or discussions are terminated," said Karen Raskopf, chief communications officer of Dunkin' Brands.
The potential deal was first reported by The New York Times on Sunday. The paper said the $8.8 billion deal could be reached as soon as Monday. The deal involves Inspire offering roughly 20% premium to Dunkin's closing stock price on Friday.
Atlanta-based Inspire Brands owns more than 11,000 Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic Drive-In, Jimmy Johns and other well-known brands worldwide, according to its website. The company is backed by private equity group Roark Capital Group, according to CNN.
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The Dunkin' Brands Group, based in Canton, Mass., owns and operates more than 13,000 Dunkin' locations across 46 countries and has more than 1,3000 Baskin-Robins locations.
The company dropped "Donuts" from its name in 2018 after it moved beyond doughnuts and put emphasis on its beverage offerings. Earlier this year, Dunkin' announced it was going to close about 800 locations across the United States by the end of the year. Most of the locations are inside Speedway gas station convenience stores.
