Sorry to harsh your Monday, but Krispy Kreme doughnuts will not be expanding to Oahu any time soon.
That once had been discussed as recently as two years ago, but alas, "as much as we would like to tap into the market, right now we’re just here on Maui," said General Manager Gino Perez, from Hawaii’s only Krispy Kreme shop, in Kahului.
Sigh.
Hawaii’s shop is a franchise owned and operated by Chicago-based KremeWorks LLC, whereas Krispy Kreme corporate is based in North Carolina, Perez said.
KremeWorks is a regional area developer that has opened a dozen stores on Maui, in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.
Krispy Kreme faithful on Oahu still can get their fix at Costco and Sam’s Club stores, thanks to the Maui franchise’s relationship with Hawaii Foodservice Alliance LLC.
"We’ve been bringing them in since February of 2010," said Stephanie Quinn, administrative assistant for operations.
They once were available at military commissaries on Oahu, but no longer.
HFA distributes Krispy Kreme doughnuts to Oahu but also distributes other food products to stores around the state. Not all products go statewide, but the companies with which it does business include Ani’s Inc., Mauna Kea Baking Co. LLC, Watanabe Bakery LLC, Punaluu Bake Shop, Tokyo Bento Nichiyo, Hawaiian Chip Co. LLC, Halm’s Enterprise, Keoki’s, Sun Noodle, Tropical Gourmet Foods LLC and Hawaii Star Bakery Inc.
As for Krispy Kreme, the famed doughnuts also are available via nonprofit groups through its fundraising program, though HFA is "not involved in the fundraising," Quinn said.
Any time you see the familiar boxes of original glazed doughnuts or other sweet selections being peddled along a well-traveled roadside or elsewhere, that group has dealt directly with Krispy Kreme.
Good times for Oahu residents to think about picking up the sweets from the membership stores are holiday weekends, Perez said. Halloween is rapidly approaching, so there will likely be Halloween-themed doughnuts, "and of course there’s our Christmas snowman, wreaths and red velvet."
Slam on the interview brakes. Screech!
Wait. Red velvet — doughnuts? "With cream cheese icing," Perez said proudly.
Note to buyers for Costco and Sam’s: Please order many of those. Thank you.
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On the Net:
» www.kremeworks.com
» www.hfahawaii.com
Ubiquitous Uniqlo
Since your Monday’s already shot, you might as well keep reading.
Japanese-based Uniqlo seeks to become the No. 1 apparel retailer in the world, according to a recent Wall Street Journal story.
New York City has three stores, and two more will open this fall in San Francisco and New Jersey.
In fact, the paper quoted founder Tadashi Yanai as saying he plans to open "hundreds and hundreds" of stores in the U.S., perhaps 20 to 30 stores each year.
So we had to ask the company whether Hawaii would get a Uniqlo store, too, as Star-Advertiser fashion and food writer Nadine Kam has long dreamed.
The emailed reply started off politely enough, expressing thanks for the inquiry and for the "interest in our products," said Takeo Katsute of the Uniqlo customer center.
"Unfortunately, we have no plan to expand our business to Hawaii at this time. Should the situation change, we may be in touch.
"In the meantime, thank you for your continued interest in Uniqlo."
Sigh.
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On the Net:
» www.uniqlo.com/us/corp
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
