MYSTERY surrounding the arrival of Krispy Kreme donuts in Wagga has deepened.
There are claims the placement of four “coming soon” corflutes placed on a prominent CBD block are a hoax, while a leading franchise expert has said it could be a pitch to prospective franchisees in the area.
The Daily Advertiser has placed numerous calls to Krispy Kreme Australia’s head office and the mobile of the company’s operations director, but the newspaper’s calls have not been returned despite it being a gazetted working day.
A preemptive warning from health experts about the dangers of Krispy Kreme largely drew the ire of social media on Tuesday.
Readers slammed Lighten up Wagga founder Judy Davie as a “do gooder”. Others spruiked the right of a business to offer a service, and the onus of Wagga people to exercise choice in their own diet.
It comes as franchise expert Brian Keen delivers his verdict on the mystery signs.
Mr Keen said finding local franchisees for a small business or “big players” such as Krispy Kreme was no easy feat.
He said big corporations had previously employed marketing gimmicks to find a suitable franchisee and generate public interest.
“There are a number of different things that could be going on here,” he said.
“Number 1 is they have site already lined up and they actually want to open in Wagga; number 2 they might be looking for a Wagga-based franchisee and number 3 they don’t have a site and want to put pressure on landlords to create bargaining position in negotiations.
“For any business, looking to set up in any area is a huge impost.”
Mr Keen predicted Krispy Kreme would be watching the response of Wagga people to the Advertiser’s story.
“It might tell them they need to come here,” he said.
In May, Heart Foundation data ranked the Riverina as the most obese region in NSW, with more than 80 per cent of residents failing meet daily exercise guidelines.
The city already has four McDonald’s restaurants, three KFC restaurants, two Red Rooster and one Hungry Jack’s.
The health district is battling to make “healthy normal” against the tide of affordability and convenience of fast food.
The Advertiser awaits comment from Krispy Kreme.
