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The British department store known for its snooty ways went down-home yesterday when the first Krispy Kreme outlet in Europe opened in its venerable Food Hall. Eager consumers lining up for the first taste included quite a few Brits who had the Krispy Kreme experience while travelling in the U.S. "British doughnuts are rubbish," said Maggie Rujaib of London, as she tried one of the free samples when the "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign lit up. "We tasted these in America. I couldn't wait for them to open." Virginia Wilson, a Texan living in London, bought two dozen, not blinking at paying $1.50 each -- about 50 percent more than the typical U.S. price. "It's a little piece of home," she said, adding that she bought them mainly for her 10-year-old twins. "I'm on the Atkins diet -- doughnuts are taboo." The doughnut counter -- and a separate window selling Krispy Kremes and coffee from 7 a.m., though Harrods itself doesn't open until 10-ish -- is the 319th outlet of the chain, which first opened in North Carolina in 1937 and went public two years ago. Krispy Kreme first ventured outside North America earlier this year when it opened a branch in Australia. Its chairman, Scott Livengood, called the Harrods opening "a landmark event in Krispy Kreme's history." If the donuts take off in England, 25 more branches are planned over the next five years. Don Henshall, managing director of Krispy Kreme UK, said the markets wide-open because British doughnuts -- usually jelly doughnut -- aren't "premium quality products." As he sees it, "ours are light and melt in your mouth, theirs are stodgy and heavy and sit in your tummy." The hottest news out of the vats from Krispy Kreme (KKD): It may soon be testing palates in China to see if its 1.3 billion consumers have a Homer Simpson-like taste for glazed doughnuts. Then again, a warm reaction overseas may be just the sugar high the Winston-Salem (N.C.) fast-food outfit needs because Wall Street seems to have lost its sweet tooth for KK -- at least for a while.
Approximate Word count = 1313
Approximate Pages = 5.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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