LITTLE ROCK — Dunkin' Donuts has hired a Little Rock real estate firm to find potential store locations in Little Rock and more than a dozen other Arkansas cities.
Todd Hart, owner of Hart Lazenby Commercial, said representatives from the popular doughnut chain contacted his agency within the last couple weeks to identify possible sites first in Little Rock and then in 14 other Arkansas cities: Batesville, Benton, Bryant, Cabot, Camden, Conway, Hot Springs, Jacksonville, Monticello, Morrilton, Pine Bluff, Russellville, Searcy and Sherwood.
The Massachusetts-based chain has no stores in Arkansas currently and the site selection process isn't a guarantee that any will open. But it's definitely a good sign for those Arkansans eager to get a local Dunkin' Donuts, Hart said.
"Typically speaking, that's a real good indication they're going to be opening stores in a market," he said of site selection.
Officials with Hart Lazenby will spend the coming weeks scouting locations for freestanding Dunkin' stores as well as "end cap" stores that occupy the end spot of a shopping center and include a drive-thru, Hart said.
Finding the right spot means considering an array of variables including demographics, visibility and signage opportunities.
"They sell coffee and donuts so being on the a.m. side of the road is a must," Hart said, referencing aligning the store with the rush from the morning commute. "From there, it's just where would a Dunkin' fit best."
Hart said he hopes to have Dunkin' representatives in Arkansas by late-August to review the potential store sites.