HOUSTON — As of July 28, Shipley Donuts, which boasts more than 375 locations across 14 states, is under new ownership.
Middle-market private equity firm Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) is acquiring the donut and kolache brand from fellow private equity firm Peak Rock Capital, which has owned Shipley since 2021.
“Shipley is growing faster than ever in its history, and partnering with LLCP presents an outstanding opportunity for Shipley to accelerate our growth and bring the world’s greatest donut to an even wider audience,” said Flynn Dekker, CEO of Shipley. “Their extensive expertise in franchise food brands will be pivotal in driving future growth and supporting our franchisees, while preserving our commitment to fresh-made quality and our original recipes that have made our brand the icon it is today.”
The bakery brand’s executive team, including Dekker, will stay in their leadership roles.
“We are excited to partner with Flynn and the outstanding Shipley management team, who have been executing on a successful growth strategy,” said Matthew Frankel, managing partner of LLCP. “Together, we see a tremendous opportunity to build on this foundation by expanding unit count even further to capture the substantial whitespace and driving strong same-store sales growth.”
This Shipley acquisition marks LLCP’s fourth platform investment. The firm previously invested in Nothing Bundt Cakes.
