Actor Patrick Dempsey’s bid for the wayward Seattle-based coffee chain Tully’s was accepted this morning – outbidding both Starbucks Coffee and Baristas™. The coffee news media is totes buzzing over this, but for the full scoop we obvs must turn to E! Online:
The purchase will be made official later this month following a court hearing on the matter, at which point Dempsey will fork over $9.15 million for the privilege of owning the coffee empire.
Patrick Dempsey is perhaps best known for his role as surgeon Dr. Derek Christopher “McDreamy” Sheperd on ABC’s hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. The show has garnered the actor several awards and a cult following of McDreamists.
For more on Tully’s, we turn to Seattle Times writer Melissa Allison:
The sale marks a new chapter for Tully’s, which has about 500 employees and has struggled for years with profitability and debt.
“We need to be able to keep this company operating, and this is the best option for us,” CEO Scott Pearson said in October, when the retail chain filed for bankruptcy protection.
Begun 20 years ago, Tully’s posted profits for just two fiscal years, 2006 and 2009. The former included a large gain from the sale of the rights to operate Tully’s stores in Japan, and the latter included the $40.3 million sale of the Tully’s roaster and wholesale business to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in 2009.
A bankruptcy court will make a final decision on the acquisition January 11th. The McDreamy deal will become totes official come February.
