Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) announced today that Price Cooper, age 43, will be joining Krispy Kreme as Executive Vice President later this month. Mr. Cooper will be appointed Chief Financial Officer following the Company’s filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K in early April. Mr. Cooper will succeed Douglas R. Muir, who has served as Chief Financial Officer since June 2007 and who announced his retirement plans last year.

Price Cooper, age 43, joins Krispy Kreme as Executive Vice President. (Photo: Business Wire)

Price Cooper, age 43, joins Krispy Kreme as Executive Vice President. (Photo: Business Wire)

“We are excited to have Price join our team,” said Tony Thompson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Krispy Kreme. “His personal integrity, extensive restaurant experience, strategic perspective and financial expertise as a public company chief financial officer make him the ideal fit for Krispy Kreme. We again want to thank Doug Muir for his over ten years of service and for his assistance in transitioning responsibilities over to Price.”

Mr. Cooper previously served as chief financial officer of Texas Roadhouse, Inc. and prior to that was employed by Ruby Tuesday, Inc. Mr. Cooper has held various positions in finance, planning and accounting with over 18 years of finance and accounting experience including 14 years in the restaurant industry. He commented, “I am energized by the opportunity at Krispy Kreme. I am looking forward to joining Tony Thompson and the rest of the management team to help take this iconic brand to the next level.” Mr. Cooper is expected to begin his transition on February 2, 2015.

About Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme is a leading branded specialty retailer and wholesaler of premium quality sweet treats and complementary products, including its signature Original Glazed® doughnut. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, the Company has offered the highest quality doughnuts and great tasting coffee since it was founded in 1937. Today, there are over 925 Krispy Kreme shops in more than 20 countries around the world. Connect with Krispy Kreme at www.krispykreme.com.

Information contained in this press release, other than historical information, should be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future economic performance, considering the information currently available to management. These statements are not statements of historical fact. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or financial condition to differ materially from the expectations of future results, performance or financial condition we express or imply in any forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “forecast,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “objective,” “seek,” “strive” or similar words, or the negative of these words, identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to: the quality of Company and franchise store operations; our ability, and our dependence on the ability of our franchisees, to execute on our and their business plans; our relationships with our franchisees; our ability to implement our domestic and international growth strategies; our ability to implement our domestic small shop operating model; political, economic, currency and other risks associated with our international operations; the price and availability of raw materials needed to produce doughnut mixes and other ingredients, and the price of motor fuel; our relationships with wholesale customers; our ability to protect our trademarks and trade secrets; changes in customer preferences and perceptions; risks associated with competition; risks related to the food service industry, including food safety and protection of personal information; compliance with government regulations relating to food products and franchising; increased costs or other effects of new government regulations relating to healthcare benefits; and risks associated with the use and implementation of information technology. These and other risks and uncertainties, which are described in more detail in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports and statements filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, are difficult to predict, involve uncertainties that may materially affect actual results and may be beyond the Company’s control, and could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any of these forward-looking statements. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors or to assess the impact of each such factor on the Company. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made.