Primer Podcast #30 - Dunkin' (not donuts), Pokemon, and EU economic lockdowns!

Happy Monday everyone. Hope everyone was safe and ready for November. Today's topics include Dunkin Brands Group being acquired by Inspire Brands. We are also looking into the Pokemon Card Market as it is very interesting to hear about this wave of alternative investments. Europe is also locking down again and there may be some consequences associated. Continue to be safe and we will see you Wednesday for a special episode. 

Diving into in, Dunkin Brands Group being potentially acquired in an 11.3B cash buyout by Inspire Brands, which is owned by the Rowark Capital. Dunkin or Dunkin Donuts (changed due to a focus on coffee), also owns Baskin Robins restaurants international and abroad. Dunkin Brands runs on a 100% franchise business model where their sources of revenue come from royalties, franchise payments, licensing, certain product sales, and advertising fees. Dunkin has had a great year as stock when compared to other QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) in the space like Mcdonalds, Chipotle, and dominos (even compared to Starbucks, Dunkin has done great). Over the previous thinking, we would assume that restaurants would get hit hard. Inspire Brands currently owns brands like (Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Rusty Taco, Jimmy Johns, and Sonic Drive-in. Inspire Brands was on a purchasing spree and has developed a lean portfolio of the franchise and multi-location restaurants that is diverse (Arbys - Fast Food, BWW - Sports Bar, Jimmy John's - Sandwiches, Rusty Taco - Mexican, Sonic: Drive-In) when adding Dunkin and Baskin they are very diverse. It will be interesting to see what Inspire Brands does with this acquisition and to see if they make more acquisitions in the future.

We also look into the pokemon card space. There are some things to be learned from this even if pokemon cards are not a credible investment by some standards. Trading Cards, Collectables, Clothing, Sneakers are all products that have seen a huge growth in recent years, especially pokemon cards most recently. Pokemon is the largest grossing media franchise. We talk about the pitfalls of investing in this type of asset class and the issues with the overall market. 

We also look into the EU and their lockdowns. Although GDP in Europe has grown, so have the cases in the country. This action shows the intensity of what is going on not only there but what has been occurring in the world. Government aid should be arriving but we are curious to see how the United States moves. The elections are coming up and it will be interesting to see what happens. Stay safe out there!