Krispy Kreme UK has hired investment bank Investec to oversee a flotation of the doughnut and coffee chain this year, according to Sky News.
Alcuin Capital Partners bought Krispy Kreme UK from an investment group led by three American entrepreneurs in 2011, in a deal worth £25m.
Krispy Kreme UK is the largest maker of premium branded doughnuts in the country, and has a franchise agreement with US-based Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc.
In 2003, the Krispy Kreme brand launched in the UK in Harrods.