KANSAS CITY, MO — The new year marked an abrupt end to an era for baked goods brand Sprinkles Cupcakes when all corporate-owned stores closed on Dec. 31, 2025.
“After thoughtful consideration, we’ve made the very difficult decision to transition away from operating company-owned Sprinkles bakeries,” the company said in a statement shared with KTLA.
First founded in 2005 by Candace Nelson, the bakery brand was sold to private equity company KarpReilly in 2012 when it had 10 brick-and-mortar storefronts. In the years since, Sprinkles grew exponentially, boasting more than 70 bakeries in the US alone. In February 2024, the bakery chain set up shop abroad, opening a Sprinkles location in South Korea.
“Even though I sold the company over a decade ago, I still have such a personal connection to it, and this isn’t how I thought the story would go,” Nelson said in a video posted to her social media pages. “I thought Sprinkles would keep growing and be around forever. I thought it was going to be my legacy.”
After celebrating its 20th anniversary last year, Sprinkles launched a licensing expansion, growing the business from strictly baking into a global lifestyle brand with ties to a range of categories including confectionary, beauty and apparel.
The bakery brand also had a slew of cross-brand collaborations over the years with brands including self-care brand Patchology and dairy company Maple Hill.
