For immediate release – September 12, 2005
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LaMar’s Donuts Returns to Midtown Roots
Grand opening marks second phase of “The
Glover Project” redevelopment effort
in midtown, launch of new LaMar ’s
brand and continued expansion of the chain
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – Forty-five
years after the first LaMar’s Donuts was opened on Linwood Boulevard,
the company today returned to its roots with a new store at 3395 Main
Street, just three blocks away from the original LaMar’s, which
closed in 2003, four decades after its founding, due to the founder
Ray Lamar’s failing health.
A brief opening ceremony at 11 a.m. today also initiated the
launch of a new look and image for the LaMar’s chain now operating
in six states, as well as a national expansion campaign. When the
store opened at 5:30 a.m., lines of waiting customers stretched outside
the restaurant and donuts were consumed as fast as they could be made.
“
We are delighted to bring LaMar’s Donuts back to midtown,” said
LaMar’s CEO Anthony Bonelli. “We’re also proud to
be part of a larger redevelopment effort, and to play a role in revitalizing
the area where our chain began.”
When Ray Lamar opened his first store in 1960 on Linwood Boulevard,
locals immediately flocked to the homemade donuts. A reputation for
freshness and quality quickly amassed into a regional phenomenon and
today, LaMar’s Donuts has grown to 27 stores. The newest is the
second of four retailers scheduled to open as part of a sweeping project,
spearheaded by Kansas City Councilman Jim Glover, to redevelop a 35-acre
area in midtown. Sales tax revenue from the new store, as well as from
existing Home Depot and Costco stores in the area, will be placed in
a housing rehabilitation fund for the surrounding neighborhood.
The latest Kansas City location also showcases a new interior
décor that will be the standard for other stores. Changes include
upgraded signage and a pastel color palette designed to add an
updated, modern touch to the bistro setting. The image makeover complements
the kick-off of an expansion program aimed at attracting LaMar’s
franchisees in new states through carefully targeted advertising
and marketing tactics.
“Part of what makes LaMar’s unique is our commitment to integrating
our stores into our communities, as a gathering place and as a good corporate
citizen,” said Bonelli. Supporting that effort, on September 16, all seven
Kansas City LaMar’s stores, along with stores in Denver, will donate a
portion of the day’s proceeds to the American Red Cross to assist relief
efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Additionally, the Oxford, Alabama,
LaMar’s is serving as a drop-off location for clothing and other supplies.
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About LaMar’s Donuts
Founded in 1960 by Ray Lamar, LaMar’s Donuts made its debut
in Kansas City. Based on the donut shop's phenomenal success
and widespread reputation, franchises began selling in the early
1990s for bistro-style donut stores. LaMar’s now has 24
locations in six states: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas,
Missouri, and Nebraska. LaMar’s donuts have been
recommended by Zagat’s Survey, the New Yorker and Gourmet
Magazine, and have been chosen as best donut by newspapers nationwide.
Additional information can be found at www.lamars.com.
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