Dozens of Dunkin' Donuts

Contrary to the image portrayed by the major media and the Democratic Party that Northeast Ohio is a wasteland of unemployed people and poverty-stricken families, the region is an exciting location for expanding business according to Allied Domecq PLC of Bristol, England, the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts. The company, impressed with the availability and affordability of real estate, and the "reasonable" cost to build new stores, has decided to blanket Greater Cleveland with more than 90 new stores. Over the next few years, the world's largest retailer of coffee-to-go and baked goods is expected to create an estimated 2,000 full-time and part-time jobs.

Part of the plan includes a deal with Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., a Canadian convenience store company which will open 66 stores, some combined with convenience stores and some free-standing franchises. According to Michel Bernard, Vice President of Operations of Couche-Tard,

"Within the next 12 months, Couche-Tard will invest $8 million in the Cleveland area to improve our current stores and to build new ones."

To support the retail locations, production and distribution facilities will be constructed and operated in NE Ohio.

Interestingly, while writing this post, local television news segments showed John Kerry and Dennis Kucinich harshly reviling and scolding President Bush for turning Ohio into a poverty-stricken wasteland. Personally, I sometimes get a little perturbed by the Democrats and the media constantly implying my home state is a toilet of despair.

[Addendum 9/6/04, 6pm EDT] This post has been included in this week's Carnival of the Capitalists hosted by Joe Grossberg. As always, the carnival marquees good writing while being hot-off-the-presses topical. Catching my eye this week are Wayne Hurlbert with a post on making money from blogging and Anita Campbell who posts some favorable news about small business which is generally ignored by the elite media. Treat yourself and visit the carnival.