Krispy Kreme has announced it will be adopting a new name in the UK after people kept incorrectly pronouncing it Krispy Crème (as in ‘krem’).
The doughnut brand has changed its name, as of 30 March, to Krispy Cream. Just in time for April Fools’ Day, then huh?
It said that since 2015 there have been over 30,000 independent tagged posts on social media spelling Krispy Kreme incorrectly. Awkward.
Despite the name change in the UK, the brand will still remain as Krispy Kreme in the US - as they seem to have a better handle on how to pronounce it.
Charlotte Roberts, head of marketing for the company, said: “The company re-brand is a strategic decision made in acknowledgement that our UK customers have struggled with the pronunciation of ‘Kreme’ (said ‘cream’) since our launch into the UK in 2003.
“We hope that the re-brand will settle any confusion as to both the pronunciation and spelling of the name for our customers.”
She added: “We want to reassure our loyal fans that the quality of our doughnuts will remain of the highest standard and in line with original recipe that our founder Vernon Rudolph made famous almost 80 years ago.”
The brand will keep its original trademarked bowtie logo and will begin to roll out the new branding to its UK stores immediately.
The Shannon Corner store, based in South London, was the first in the UK to implement the change with a complete store re-brand and roll out of new doughnut boxes available from today.
There will be a transition period while new branding is activated in the remaining 90 stores and 700 cabinets within retail partners.
Many are questioning whether this is, in fact, an April Fools.
Mashable contacted the UK office to set the record straight. A spokesperson revealed they had been instructed not to talk to press.
“At this stage we can’t confirm or deny whether this is an April Fool. We can’t say either way,” said the spokesperson, adding: “Which probably gives you as much information as you need.”