Dunkin' IPO Offers New Insight Into Mass. Icon

There’s new insight into the Massachusetts icon Dunkin’ Donuts in a financial filing the company has submitted in its bid to go public.

Dunkin' Donuts is privately owned, so it has kept its books to itself. But now that Canton-based Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. has filed for an IPO, it has to reveal more information to interested investors.

Its filing with regulators at the federal Securities and Exchange Commission shows that the doughnut chain earned almost two-thirds of its revenue last year from franchise fees.

All of the stores are franchised, and owners have to pay for the association. That income structure means the company has a more stable revenue stream whether store sales go up or down.

The IPO filing also shows that Dunkin' has China, Germany and Russia in its sights for major expansion.

Here at home, if you feel like there’s already a Dunkin on every corner, the filing backs backs that up. It says there’s a store for every 9,700 people in its core markets of New England and New York.