4/21/2005 10:06:00 PM|||Scott Lewis|||

A blockbuster deal in the liquor industry could bring together such brands as the Glenlivet scotch and Stolichnaya vodka, but Dunkin' Donuts coffee probably won't be part of the mix.

Yesterday the British parent of Dunkin' Donuts, Allied Domecq PLC, agreed to be purchased for $14 billion by Pernod Ricard SA and Fortune Brands Inc., The Wall Street Journal reported. The buyers are expected to divide Allied Domecq's spirit brands and sell Dunkin' Donuts and its sister chains, Baskin-Robbins and Togo's, to help finance their purchase.

Pernod and Dunkin' Donuts declined to comment. An Allied Domecq spokesman said discussions of a sale were ''premature."

Dunkin' Donuts is appealing, said John Glass, a CIBC World Markets analyst who follows the restaurant industry. ''If there's ever going to be a national challenger to Starbucks, it's likely to be Dunkin' Donuts," Glass said.

Dunkin' Donuts, the Baskin-Robbins ice cream chain, and the Togo's sandwich chain could be sold separately or together, analysts said. They could be part of an initial public stock offering or sold to another restaurant company or an investment firm. The chains collectively logged $4.8 billion in sales, with $3.6 billion from Dunkin' Donuts.

Because the chains are franchises, Allied Domecq receives only a fraction of the sales. They are a small part of Allied Domecq's business, said Ron Paul, president of Technomic Inc., a Chicago firm. ''I've never seen a good break-out of their numbers," Paul said. ''So it's hard to put a value on them."

Paul said Yum Brands Inc., which operates KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, might be a logical candidate to buy Dunkin' Donuts. But a Yum spokeswoman said such a purchase is not under consideration.

A Boston firm, Bain Capital, has invested in such chains as Burger King and Domino's Pizza, but never comments on marketplace rumors or speculation, a Bain spokesman said.

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|||111413925896469617|||Dunkin' sale may follow merger6/15/2005 9:19 AM|||lizziewriter|||Hey, Maybe Wal-Mart should buy them. I'm still steamed about the propylene glycol. There will always be changes in flavors and people liking different things, but the propylene glycol [in the flavor shots] is not good. Maybe it was in the old flavored coffees too, I didn't drink them much so I never looked up the ingredients. And I don't care what the FDA says. Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's not stupid. I'll still drop into Dunkin for a snack now and then, but it will be less often now I think.