When DDIFO members gather at Mohegan Sun for the annual DDIFO National Members Meeting on September 19th & 20th, Dunkin’ Brands will be into its first quarter as a publicly traded company. The pressures of reporting quarterly earnings to Wall Street is likely to impact franchise owners who are already dealing with high commodity costs and price-point competition from McDonald’s.
The theme for the national members meeting is “Investing in Our Future.” Kicking off on Monday September 19th at 12pm with the DDIFO Board of Directors meeting which will be open to all DDIFO Members. That evening there will be a Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony starting at 6:00 pm with all attendees and sponsors. The conference will continue on Tuesday September 20th and will feature keynote speaker Josh Kosman, author of the book "Buyout of America: How Private Equity Is Destroying Jobs and Killing the American Economy".
In addition there will other speakers, and breakout sessions on such issues as government relations, tax laws, operations and marketing. There will also be an expanded exhibit hall with sponsor presentations and exhibits.
According to DDIFO President Jim Coen, “The theme captures a unique historical perspective on what Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners and shareholders of DNKN have invested in the success of Dunkin’ Donuts.”
The Dunkin’ IPO has been an undercurrent in the lives of franchisees for some time. Many franchise owners have expressed their concern over how the pressure to accommodate stockholders’ profit expectations will impact their day to day business.
As Josh Kosman wrote in the New York Post recently, “Indeed, Dunkin' is relying on its franchisees—who own and run nearly all the stores—to expand its footprint with limited capital investment from the parent. Almost all the 206 net expansions in the US last year came from existing franchisees opening new locations.”
While the IPO will be a major topic of the national members meeting, Coen says franchise owners want to discuss a broad range of issues related to their business, their investment and their future.
We look forward to you joining us for the DDIFO 2nd Annual National Members Conference.
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