Shipley Donuts has been part of morning routines, celebrations and family traditions for nearly a century, and now America’s longest-standing and largest donut and kolache chain is celebrating its 90th birthday with a 10-week celebration running Aug. 10 through Oct. 18, featuring value deals on nostalgic favorites and special birthday offerings.
Shipley Donuts, the nation’s largest brand of fresh, handmade daily donuts and kolaches, will make its Michigan debut in Metro Detroit through a 15-unit franchise agreement with Hole Lotta Dough, LLC.
Shipley Donuts, the nation’s largest brand of fresh, handmade daily donuts, kolaches and coffee, marked a strong first half of 2026 with continued franchise development, entry into new markets and a historic nonprofit partnership, alongside recognitions from leading industry trade publications.
Shipley Donuts, the nation’s largest brand of fresh, handmade-daily donuts, kolaches and coffee, is expanding into Raleigh with a newly signed two-unit franchise agreement with Plexus Raleigh LLC, a franchise group led by Hillsborough-based entrepreneur Dana Norman. The group plans to open its first Shipley location in 2027, with a second shop following in 2028.
Shipley Donuts, the nation’s largest brand of handmade fresh daily donuts and kolaches, now offers easy online catering for group orders, available nationwide for pickup or delivery at shipleydonuts.com/catering .
Shipley Donuts, the nation’s largest brand of fresh, handmade-daily donuts and kolaches, has signed a one-unit franchise agreement in South Dallas, marking the first nonprofit franchise agreement in Shipley Donuts’ history.
Article Source: Franchise Times
Bill Leibengood’s approach to marketing efforts is driven by what he calls disciplined marketing: “Data and facts inform strategy,” he said. This belief has followed Leibengood through decades of marketing experience, working for advertising agencies before taking on marketing roles at Wingstop, Applebee’s and Houlihan’s.
Three months into his new job as Shipley Donuts’ chief marketing officer, Leibengood’s strong-willed approach isn’t going away anytime soon. “I have been blessed in my career to have partnered with some amazing people in IT and finance, and I’ve seen the power of what really great customer data and business intelligence can do to inform marketing strategy and execution,” he said. “That is something I am eager to bring to this brand because it has such an amazing foundation. Our ability to sharpen our strategy and improve our execution only pushes us forward in that space.”
Leibengood is all in on the brand’s untapped opportunity, looking to build upon the brand’s recent expansion. Shipley opened 35 units in 2025, contributing to its 385-plus unit count across 13 states. The brand opened units last year in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The brand changed hands in 2025, as Levine Leichtman Capital Partners acquired Shipley from Peak Rock Capital last summer. As Shipley continues national expansion, Leibengood and the marketing team see an opportunity to revisit how the brand introduces itself to new markets.
“Getting in and seeing how much opportunity there is to build on that foundation and expand the brand, whether it’s into new markets or new product categories or customer segments—there’s just so much opportunity,” he said. “It is a 90-year-old brand, but in a lot of ways, there’s still a lot of space to develop, which is kind of unique when you have a heritage that’s that long.”
Local marketing is the avenue Shipley’s looking to take, working with franchisees on developing and executing programs while leveraging the brand’s differentiators. With that, he said, comes the responsibility of staying true to brand values that got Shipley to where it is today.
“It’s that craft, it’s that authenticity, it’s commitment to doing things the right way that customers love about us and then extending that into new product categories,” Leibengood said. “We’re making sure we highlight that in our messaging so that people really understand our commitment to those values and understand how they translate as we open in new markets, pursue new product categories and look to expand in digital channels.”
While the company declined to comment on projected openings for 2026, Leibengood sees product development crafting an opening for profitable growth this year. “Marketing is at the center of that,” he said, noting Shipley’s plans to grow digitally across various channels and delve into additional categories like the ever-popular beverage space.
“I’m incredibly excited about how much untapped opportunity there is within this brand and this business model to build on amazing donuts and kolaches,” Leibengood added. “To expand that brand love into new product categories, into new dayparts, into new customer segments—it gives me goosebumps when I think about how much runway’s ahead of us.”
Article Source: Hospitality Tech
In the five years since Shipley Donuts began investing in technology, the brand has gone from having virtually no digital systems to a fully cloud-native tech ecosystem that now drives major business results. When Kerry Leo joined as VP of Technology in 2020, Shipley had minimal digital infrastructure. The company built up its technology stack, unified data, and integrated AI to enhance online ordering and customer experience. Today, AI-powered tools handle nearly one-quarter of online orders, contributing to average order values that are about 24% higher than non-AI digital transactions. This shift reflects Shipley’s broader strategy to leverage data and automation to increase direct digital engagement, improve customer satisfaction, and grow revenue through smarter, more personalized online experiences.
Source: Franchise Times
Debuting a brand in new markets can be tricky. Selling donuts makes it a bit easier.
Houston-based Shipley Do-Nuts has 370 units in 12 states, predominantly in the South and Southeast regions. The donut concept has its sights set on expanding out east.
The company is making its debut in two states this year, opening its first North Carolina location this week and one in Virginia by the end of April.
Furthest from the brand’s home city is franchisee Mid-Atlantic Do-Nuts, which operates three units in Maryland.
Co-founded by cousins Brian Lemek and John Egan, Mid-Atlantic Do-Nuts signed a 25-unit deal in 2022 to open stores throughout Maryland and Virginia. Development followed in quick succession since opening their first unit in early 2023; the company opened its third location shortly after a second opening in November.
“One of the unique things about Shipley Do-Nuts is that we’ve got brand fans all over the country … so I would say Maryland is kind of a case study to prove that,” said Keith Sizemore, senior vice president of franchise development. “You couldn’t get much further away from home base.”
The company expects to open 48 locations nationwide in 2025, doubling the 24-unit increase of last year.
“We want to enter a market with locations and a plan to do more because that helps with brand awareness,” Sizemore said. “It helps with marketing efforts and helps folks be more successful.”
Keith Sizemore
Shipley’s average unit volume for franchises is $902,517, according to its franchise disclosure document, with an overall range of $151,935 to $2.7 million. Company units reported an AUV of $1.45 million. Sizemore said the Maryland locations have found success in a short time period, reporting higher AUVs than units in the company home base.
These statistics show the brand’s ability to adapt to new markets, he added, building excitement among Marylanders craving Shipley’s hot glazed donuts and meat-and-cheese-filled kolaches.
High-level experience from Lemek and Egan affirms the company’s efforts to seek out multi-unit franchisees with an established franchising background. Starting with a base level of trust makes it easier to build the franchisor-franchisee relationship, Sizemore noted.
Localized marketing efforts have been “absolutely critical” in growing brand presence, as Sizemore believes “there’s no really better way to market our product than to get the product in customers’ mouths.” Mid-Atlantic’s Clinton, Maryland, location gave away 10,000 donuts to schools, law enforcement and charities for a month to celebrate the newest opening.
“It’s just the most efficient and best way to market and build relationships with the folks in the community so they know who we are and know we’re always looking for ways we can help,” Sizemore said.
Shipley’s team helps franchisees come up with community-based marketing plans for their respective locations. The company has 10 events lined up in targeted markets during the first half of this year.
Beyond the Mid-Atlantic region, Shipley’s southeastern expansion plans continue.
Sizemore advised others to know their brand’s core values and mission when expanding outside existing markets, posing questions every franchisor should ask: Why is my brand successful where it is today? Where are the same similar, core customers in other markets? How can I be strategic about growth?
He finds it equally important for a brand to have a strong franchising model lending itself to franchisees’ success.
“At the end of the day,” he said, “if your franchisees aren’t making money, there’s not much hope that you’re going to be able to create or sustain much growth.”
Seize the opportunity to own a thriving Shipley Do-Nuts franchise! Fill out the form below to take the first step.
Source: Franchising.com
February 28, 2025 // Franchising.com // HOUSTON — Fast-growing Shipley Do-Nuts, one of the nation’s largest donut and kolache brands, will expand its national footprint with a 30-unit development deal that will bring the brand to New Mexico and the Miami-Dade area of Florida, both new markets for Shipley.
The agreement with existing Shipley franchisee Vik Agrawal will bring 10 shops to Sandoval, Santa Fe, Bernalillo, Valencia, Torrance, Socorro, Lincoln, De Baca, Guadalupe and San Miguel counties in New Mexico and 20 shops to the Miami-Dade area. One shop is expected to open in each state in the next 12 months.
Agrawal, a multi-unit franchise operator with nearly 20 years of experience and about 100 locations across the Church’s Chicken, Supercuts and Cost Cutters brands, has one Shipley Do-Nuts location in Laredo, Texas, with agreements to open five more in the Rio Grande Valley area.
“My first Shipley Do-Nuts location in Laredo has proved out the business model and I’m committed to quickly growing the brand in New Mexico and South Florida,” said Agrawal. “Shipley is a strong brand that is gaining momentum as it enters new markets and people discover the greatness of the product — it’s simply the world’s greatest donut.”
Founded in 1936 in Houston, Shipley offers more than 60 varieties of fresh donuts, handmade daily. These include its signature plain glazed, cut in the iconic Shipley hexagon shape, plus filled, iced and cake donuts, bear claws, kolaches, coffee and more.
“Vik is an ideal Shipley franchisee, bringing multi-unit, multi-brand experience, a growth mentality and operational infrastructure to open and operate units across several markets,” said Shipley Vice President of Franchising Jonathan Massey. “We are looking forward to working with his team to make life delicious for future fans in New Mexico and South Florida.”
Shipley has grown its footprint to over 370 locations in 13 states with its recent entry into North Carolina. It will open its first Virginia shop within the next several months and has franchise opportunities in 46 states.
Seize the opportunity to own a thriving Shipley Do-Nuts franchise! Fill out the form below to take the first step!
