What is Baskin Robbins’ stock price, and are they publicly traded? Unfortunately, investors cannot purchase shares of Baskin Robbins because it is a private company. However, Unilever (NYSE: UL), General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS), and McDonald’s Corp (NYSE: MCD) are grocery stocks that traders can invest in.
Did you know that Baskin-Robbins is the world’s largest ice cream chain? The brand began in 1945 when two brothers-in-law combined their businesses. Since its creation, it has changed owners multiple times. It was traded on the US stock exchange between 2011 and 2020 under the symbol DNKN.
Today, Baskin-Robbins has ties with Dunkin’ Brands and Inspire Brands. It belongs to one of the most successful private fast-food franchises worldwide. However, rumors exist that the company may return to the stock market under its parent company, Inspire Brands. Here’s everything you need to know about Baskin-Robbins and Inspire Brands.
Fun fact: If you look closely at the company’s “BR” logo, you can see the number “31”, representing 31 ice cream flavors, one for each day of the month.
Table of Contents
Baskin Robbins Introduction (No Stock Symbol)
Baskin-Robbins began in Glendale, California, in 1945 with two brothers-in-law, Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins. The shop was named Burton’s Ice Cream Shop. The brand quickly began expanding and offering new flavors to its customers (over 1,400 today!).
By the 1960s, Baskin-Robbins had expanded to over 400 locations across the United States. Today, it is the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty stores, with over 8,000 locations in the US and 50 other countries.
Its corporate history was not always as sweet as its products. How did Baskin and Robbins get involved in the ice cream industry? By two very different paths.
Baskin learned how to make ice cream while he served in the US military during the Second World War. Robbins’ father had a store where a young Irv would work the ice cream counter. In 1945, Baskin opened Burton’s IcBurton’sand Robbins opened his store called Snowbird Ice Cream.
In 1948, Baskin and Robbins merged their two ice cream shops into Baskin Robbins. The new entity offered 31 different flavors, which has been the brand’s slogan ever since.
Even though Baskin Robbins has offered more than 31 flavors over the years, the number is still used for marketing and nostalgia. The original concept of the 31 flavors was that Baskin Robbins offered a new flavor every day of the month.
Baskin-Robbins has experienced several changes in ownership throughout its history. It belonged to United Brands, W Britain’s and Company, and Canada’s J.Canada and Co. An important ownership change occurred in 2006 when multiple private equity firms bought Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins to create Dunkin’ Brands. Can you trade Baskin Robbins stock?
Recent History, Expansion, and Acquisition
Baskin Robbins continued to open stores across the United States and eventually expanded internationally in 1970. The chain opened its first international stores in Australia, South Korea, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
In 1967, the company sold the Baskin Robbins chain to United Fruit shortly before the death of Burt Baskin. Five years later, Baskin Robbins stock officially went public via an IPO but was acquired and taken private just one year later in 1973 by J. Lyons, a British food and beverage company.
After several more acquisitions, Baskin Robbins would eventually be paired with Dunkin’ Donuts under the Dunkin’ Brands Inc. umbrella. The two brands operate many shared locations across America to this day.
In December 2020, Inspire Brands officially acquired the Dunkin’ Brands corporation. This American fast food conglomerate owns chains like Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Jimmy John’s.
Dunkin’ Brands
In July 2011, Dunkin’ Brands went public with an IPO under the symbol DNKN on the NASDAQ exchange. The stock price increased from $23.13 on July 27th, 2011, to $106.48 on December 15th, 2020, representing a total return of over 360% for shareholders in less than ten years.
During this period, Dunkin’ Brands delivered strong and consistent returns for investors and outperformed many major stock market indexes.
In December 2020, everything changed once again for the company. Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin’ Brands (Dunkin Donuts and Baskin-Robbins) for $11.3B. It became a private company and part of a developing fast-food restaurant franchise company. Therefore, you can’t trade Baskin Robbins stock any longer.
What Is Inspire Brands?
Inspire Brands is a very recent company. It was founded in 2018 when Arby’s Restaurant Group acquired Buffalo Wild Wings for \$2.9 billion. It quickly became one of the largest restaurant companies in the world thanks to a series of acquisitions.
Its subsidiaries include Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’ Donuts, Jimmy John’s, and Sonic Drive-In. These restaurants combine for over 31,000 locations worldwide and $30B in global sales. That’s not all.
In December 2023, Inspire Brands agreed to acquire one of the biggest fast-food restaurant companies in the world, and it has 37,000 restaurants. The deal for Subway cost $9.6B and is yet another game-changer for the company.
Public companies must disclose certain information in their quarterly statements. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to Inspire Brands because it is a private company. For that reason, we don’t know its profit margins or revenues.
However, the company is considering an IPO for 2024 or 2025. So, we may be able to trade Baskin Robbins stock in the future. Here is what we know for now.
Inspire Brands IPO
There are already countless public fast-food and restaurant companies. It isn’t surprising that Inspire Brands is considering to follow the same path.
Its owner, Roark Capital, hasn’t confirmed anything yet. According to analysts, the brand’s value should be around $20B.
The IPO market is heating up, and market conditions are improving. Look for more news about the IPO in the upcoming weeks and months, especially if you want to trade Baskin Robbins stock.
Invest in Baskin Robbins Stock
Have you ever thought about investing in ice cream? Let’s think about it for a minute. It’s delicious, everyone loves it, and it’s cheap to make. When we think about ice cream from childhood, we immediately think of Baskin Robbins.
I remember eating Very Berry Strawberry, Pink Bubblegum, or even Jamoca Almond Fudge. Nothing says childhood summer days like an ice cream cone!
Have you ever thought of buying Baskin Robbins stock? Investing in a popular chain with high margins and brand loyalty is usually a winning strategy on the stock market. So, is Baskin Robbins something you should add to your portfolio? Is investing in Baskin Robbins stock, its competitors, and snack foods a profitable long-term strategy?
Unfortunately, in 2024, you cannot buy Baskin Robbins stock. It is no longer a publicly traded company and has not been since its brief time on the markets in 1972.
You can even buy stock in its parent company, Inspire Brands, as it is a private corporation. One interesting fact: you can buy Baskin Robbins stock by accessing the Japanese stock market.
Baskin Robbins stock trades as B-R Ice Cream Co, Ltd on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. They have more than 1,200 locations across Japan, making it the second-largest market for the company after the United States—the B-R Ice Cream Co stock trades under the ticker symbol 2268.T.
Baskin Robbins Stock Competitors
If you follow the markets, you probably already know that most top ice cream companies aren’t publicly listed. However, a few ways exist to gain exposure to some of the world’s top ice cream and snack food brands.
You might not be able to invest in Baskin Robbins stock, but these stocks will allow you to invest in everyone’s favorite summer treat.
1. Unilever (NYSE: UL)
Market Cap: \$121.25 billion
Dividend Yield: 3.84%
1-Year Return: -9.7%
Unilever is a British consumer goods conglomerate founded in 1929. It is one of the world’s largest consumer corporations and owns well-known brands like Dove soap, Hellmann’s mayo, Axe, and Vaseline. But included in its vast portfolio are some of the world’s best ice cream brands. Perhaps you’ve heard of Ben & Jerry’s or Magnum or Cornetto? All of these brands are owned and produced by Unilever!
For many years, there has been a battle for the top ice cream seller in the world between Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs. Häagen-Dazs appears to have higher global sales and revenue compared to Ben & Jerry’s, making it the largest and most successful ice cream company between the two. Therefore, it is a good substitute for Baskin Robbins stock.
2. General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS)
Market Cap: \$39.62 billion
Dividend Yield: 3.36%
1-Year Return: -18.73%
General Mills is an American multinational producer of processed consumer foods and products. While it is widely known for its cereals like Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch or snacks like Nature Valley and Larabars, General Mills offers its share of ice cream brands. What is the most well-known ice cream brand in General Mills’ portfolio? None other than Haagen-Dazs. The caveat is that General Mills owns and distributes Haagen-Dazs outside the US and Canada.
General Mills owns brands in various categories, such as breakfast cereals, snacks, baking mixes, yogurt, and pet food. Some of its most popular brands are Cheerios, Wheaties, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Nature Valley, Old El Paso, Häagen-Dazs and Yoplait.
Where can you find Häagen-Dazs ice cream? In over 900 locations across 50 countries. The company’s yearly revenue is around $443M, with sales exceeding $2B, ranking it atop all ice cream sellers globally. This success could make Baskin Robbins stock attractive to investors if you could trade it.
3. Nestle SA - ADR (OTC: NSRGY)
Market Cap: \$273.70 billion
Dividend Yield: 3.32%
1-Year Return: -18.10%
Nestle SA is not a popular stock among Americans, but it is one of the largest companies in the European market. Nestle trades on the OTC markets in America, allowing American investors to own it in their portfolios. Remember how General Mills owns Haagen-Dazs outside of the United States and Canada? Nestle owns and distributes Haagen-Dazs in the US and Canada through its Dreyers brand. Nestle also owns ice cream brands like Drumstick and Antica Gelateria del Corso.
4. McDonald’s Corp (NYSE: MCD)
Market Cap: $193.99 billion
Dividend Yield: 2.49%
1-Year Return: -5.56%
Here’s a company that needs no introduction: McDonald’s. The global fast-food leader operates nearly 42,000 locations in over 120 countries worldwide. McDonald’s might not be the first restaurant chain you think of for ice cream, but it can sell millions of delicious soft-serve cones during summer. Don’t forget McDonald’s also has McFlurries! McDonald’s recently opened a new chain of restaurants called CosMc’s, which focuses on beverages, snacks, and ice cream.
5. Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B)
Market Cap: $885.57 billion
Dividend Yield: 0.00%
1-Year Return: +30.41%
Wait a minute, Berkshire Hathaway? The company owned by Warren Buffet? How can this be a way to invest in ice cream? In addition to the massive stock portfolio, Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company with a long list of American businesses. One is Dairy Queen, one of America’s most popular ice cream brands. Berkshire owns Dairy Queen and Orange Julius, which usually operate shared retail stores.
Dairy Queen has been owned by one of the world’s most successful companies and investment firms since 1998. There are currently around 7,000 locations across 30 countries, with the majority (70%) in the US. Surprisingly, the largest Dairy Queen in the world is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The company generates over $5B in yearly sales internationally.
If you wish to invest in Dairy Queen directly, it isn’t possible. However, you can buy shares of its parent company, Berkshire Hathaway.
6. Restaurant Brands International (NYSE: QSR)
We conclude with Restaurant Brands. It owns several quick-service restaurant chains, including Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. While not directly competing with Baskin-Robbins in the dessert category, these brands offer some ice cream products.
Restaurant Brands benefitted from a very rapid QoQ growth in its early days. However, that growth didn’t last, leading to a company’s stock price stagnation. Last year, Restaurant Brands recorded record revenues and profits. As a result, shareholders saw gains. The company also offers a 2.99% yearly dividend yield.
Is Baskin Robbins a Good Investment?
Well, unless you can buy stocks on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, you won’t be able to own Baskin Robbins stock. Baskin Robbins has been a private company since 1972. Private equity firms have owned them ever since.
The company has seen somewhat of a renaissance over the past few years. There was a period not too long ago when Baskin Robbins struggled, forcing it to close many of its stores.
Thanks to a strong presence in international markets like Japan, Baskin Robbins has also regained popularity in North America.
If you are interested in investing in ice cream stocks, we’ve provided a list of five strong companies that you can consider. Each company on our list has a long history of being profitable and is a leading brand in their respective industries. They also distribute generous dividends or have provided excellent returns to shareholders over the years.
If you are like us, then Baskin Robbins likely invokes nostalgia from decades past. It was one of the preferred ice cream chains from childhood, and as adult investors, we tend to look fondly at investing in these companies. Unfortunately, Baskin Robbins isn’t one of those companies. But if there is any chance we can include Very Berry Strawberry in an article, we’ll take it!
Final Thoughts: Baskin Robbins Stock
To conclude, Baskin-Robbins is the world’s largest ice cream chain. Today, it is a private company that belongs to one of the world’s largest restaurant companies, Inspire Brands. There are rumors that they could seek an IPO for 2024 or 2025 due to attractive market conditions.
An IPO could lead to more growth for the company and its subsidiaries. The IPO market is heating up with more companies going public. With the right timing, it could attract many investors and create value for its shareholders.
Frequently Asked Questions
As of 2024, you cannot buy Baskin Robbins stock because it is a private company. Interestingly enough, Baskin Robbins trades on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the company name BR-31 Ice Cream Company (2268.T).
Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins are under the Dunkin’ Brands umbrella. They were purchased by Inspire Brands in 2020 for $ 11.3 B, and neither can be bought on the stock market. Dunkin’ Donuts is also a privately owned company.
The number 31 represents 31 ice cream flavors, one for each day of the month.
Baskin Robbins is the largest ice cream franchise and brand in the world. The brand has over 8,000 global locations and a strong presence across North America and Asia.
