The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (2024)

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Kate Taylor and Yutong Yuan

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (1)

  • JAB Holding owns some of the most famous chains in the world, including Krispy Kreme, Panera, and Pret A Manger.
  • On Wednesday, Pret A Manger announced it had reached an agreement to acquire British sandwich chain EAT.
  • JAB is owned by the secretive German Reimann family, which has a net worth of at least $19 billion.
  • Here is the breakdown of all the chains that JAB Holding owns.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (2)

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The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (4)

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Krispy Kreme, Panera, Pret a Manger, and Peet's Coffee are some of the most beloved chains in America.

However, not everyone realizes that these chains are all owned by the same company.

JAB Holding is the investment arm of the secretive Reimann family. JAB owns chains including Krispy Kreme, Panera, Caribou Coffee, Au Bon Pain, and Pret A Manger, as well as Keurig Dr. Pepper and bottled-water brand Core.

In recent years, JAB has acquired some of the biggest names in food and beverage.

Here's a breakdown of all of JAB's chains:

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (5)

Yutong Yuan/Business Insider

On Wednesday, Pret a Manger announced it had reached an agreement to acquire British sandwich chain EAT. The brand plans to convert "as many of EAT's shops as possible" to "Veggie Pret" locations.

Read on for more details on all the chains JAB owns:

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JAB acquired Peet's Coffee and Tea in 2012.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (6)

Peet's Coffee and Tea Facebook

JAB Holding acquired Peet'sback in 2012 for about $1 billion.

It then did a deal for Caribou Coffee.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (7)

Facebook.com/cariboucoffee

JAB also owns Caribou Coffee Co., which it acquiredin 2013for $340 million. Caribou Coffee is based in Minnesota.

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Next up was D.E Master Blenders 1753.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (8)

D.E Master Blenders

JAB struck a deal in 2013 to buy the coffee company D.E. Master Blenders 1753, which had been spun out of Sara Lee Corp. a year earlier, for $9.8 billion.

Then it struck a big deal in 2014 to create Jacobs Douwe Egberts, which owns brands including Kenco, Tassimo, Senseo, and Moccona.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (9)

Jacobs Douwe Egberts is the world's biggest coffee company, with revenues totaling more than 5 billion euros. That entity was formed as a result of a merger between another JAB brand and Mondelez International coffee products, which closed in 2015. Mondelez currently owns a 26.4% stake in JDE.

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JAB Holding bought Einstein Bros.' parent company in 2014.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (10)

AP Photo/Ed Andrieski

JAB also bought Einstein Noah, a Colorado-based bagel company, in a $370 million deal. Einstein Noah was founded in 1995 and was operating more than 850 US stores at the time of the sale.

It also acquired the leading Nordic coffee retailer.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (11)

Espresso House Finland

JAB reached a deal worth more than $300 million to buy Espresso House,the leading coffee chainin Sweden and Norway, in 2015.

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JAB-owned Peet's Coffee and Tea has gone on a buying spree.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (12)

Abdullah A/Foursquare

Peet's has since gone on a buying spree, picking up two US brands —Intelligentsiaand Stumptown— in 2016. They are based in Chicago and Portland, Oregon.

JAB's acquisitions aren't restricted to chains.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (13)

Friele

JAB also has investments in top European brands, including Marcilla Professional, Pickwick, and Friele, to name a few. The company also owns the leading makers of high-end brewing products.

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In 2015, news broke that JAB was planning to acquire Keurig.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (14)

Shutterstock

That December, JAB announced plans to buy Keurig for about $13.9 billion.

In 2018, Keurig merged with Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (15)

Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Dr. Pepper

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JAB added Krispy Kreme to the mix in 2016.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (16)

Facebook/Krispy Kreme

JAB and its partners spent about$1.35 billionto buy Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

Panera was a big-name purchase.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (17)

kennejima / Flickr

Panera's then-CEO, Ron Shaich, said the acquisition —announced in 2017— allowed Panera to focus more on long-term success as opposed to short-term sales.

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Panera then acquired its sandwich rival Au Bon Pain.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (18)

Hollis Johnson

The two brands havestrikingly similar menus,selling sandwiches, salads, soups, and coffee with an emphasis on nutrition that many fast-food competitors do not have.

In May 2018, JAB agreed to a deal to buy Pret A Manger.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (19)

Pret has been rapidly building out its international presence, opening locations in the US, Hong Kong and China, and France, adding to its already strong presence in the UK.

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Insomnia Cookies joined the JAB empire thanks to a deal with Krispy Kreme.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (20)

Insomnia Cookies

The terms of the deal were not announced, though a source told CNBC that thethen-unannounced dealwould value Insomnia Cookies at less than $500 million.

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Core is one of the latest beverage brands to come under JAB's control.

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (21)

Core

Core is best known for its bottled water brand, Core Hydration, and fruit hydration brand, Core Organic.

Frank Chaparro, Jonathan Marino, and Rachel Butt contributed to earlier versions of this post.

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Pret a Manger announced on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement to acquire EAT, transforming the sandwich chain into a vegetarian-centric brand "Veggie Pret."

The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (22)

Wikimedia

"The purpose of this deal is to serve a growing demand of vegetarian and vegan customers who want delicious, high quality food and drink options," Pret CEO Clive Schlee said in a statement.

"We have been developing the Veggie Pret concept for over two years and we now have four hugely successful shops across London and Manchester. The acquisition of the EAT estate is a wonderful opportunity to turbo charge the development of Veggie Pret and put significant resources behind it."

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The massive company that owns Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger is buying another sandwich chain (2024)
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