8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of The

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 8, 2013

DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)

001-35258	20-4145825
(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification Number)

130 Royall Street

Canton, Massachusetts 02021

(Address of registrant’s principal executive office)

(781) 737-3000

(Registrant’s telephone number)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On July 8, 2013 the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (the “Company”) elected Carl Sparks as a member of the Board, effective July 26, 2013. The Board increased the size of the Board from seven to eight members and appointed Mr. Sparks to fill the vacancy. Mr. Sparks, age 45, is the President and CEO of Travelocity.com LP, a division of Sabre Holdings Corporation. Previously, Mr. Sparks worked for Gilt.com, a division of Gilt Groupe, Inc., serving as Chief Marketing Officer from 2009 to 2010 and then as President of Gilt.com from 2010 to 2011. From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Sparks worked in various roles for Expedia, Inc., including Chief Marketing Officer of Expedia.com from 2006 to 2008 and General Manager of Hotels.com from 2008 to 2009. Mr. Sparks is currently a director at Vonage Holdings Corporation.

Mr. Sparks will serve as a Class I director, which class will stand for re-election at the 2015 annual meeting of stockholders. Mr. Sparks is also expected to serve as a member of the Board’s Audit Committee.

Mr. Sparks will participate in the Company’s standard director compensation program. Pursuant to this program, each member of the Board who is not an employee of the Company receives an annual retainer of $70,000. In addition, such directors receive an annual grant of restricted stock units with a fair market value equal to $85,000.

In addition, Mr. Sparks and the Company entered into the Company’s standard indemnification agreement, the terms of which are described in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-173898) (the “Registration Statement”) and a form of such agreement was filed as Exhibit 10.24 to the Registration Statement.

On July 10, 2013, the Company issued a press release announcing the appointment of Mr. Sparks to the Board. A copy of the press release has been filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

99.1 Press Release of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. dated July 10, 2013.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	DUNKIN’ BRANDS GROUP, INC.
By:	/s/ Richard Emmett
	Richard Emmett
	Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Date: July 10, 2013

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

DUNKIN’ BRANDS ELECTS CARL SPARKS TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President and CEO of Travelocity Global elected to Dunkin’ Brands Board effective July 26th

CANTON, Mass (July 10, 2013) – Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN), the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, announced today the election of Carl Sparks to the Dunkin’ Brands Board of Directors, effective July 26, 2013. The current President and Chief Executive Officer of Travelocity Global, Mr. Sparks, 45, has an extensive background in e-commerce, consumer brands and retailing.

“Carl is one of the pre-eminent business leaders in the digital business space, and we are delighted he has joined Dunkin’ Brands’ board of directors,” said Nigel Travis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. “With his extensive online and digital background, he will be a tremendous addition to our Board. We look forward to benefitting from his insights as we continue to develop new and compelling programs to enhance the engagement with our communities worldwide."

Mr. Sparks said, "I am excited to join the Board of Directors of one of the world’s leading franchisors, and I look forward to working closely with the board members during the next phase of Dunkin’ Brands’ growth."

Before joining Travelocity, Sparks served as President of Gilt Groupe, one of the leading online fashion and travel retailers in the United States. In his role, Sparks was responsible for overseeing the business units of Gilt.com, which included the women's, men's, home, children's and gifts categories. Sparks spent five years implementing innovative marketing programs in a variety of leadership roles for Expedia Inc., serving as general manager for Hotels.com North America, and as Chief Marketing Officer for Expedia.com where he was responsible for driving a $10 billion-revenue business by leading the areas of brand strategy, creative development and marketing communications. During his tenure, Sparks led Expedia to record website traffic and revenue and category gains and also implemented an award-winning loyalty/rewards program and a website overhaul, which led the company to unprecedented profit and share growth.

Earlier in his career, Sparks was vice president of direct business and brand at Capital One, where he helped develop the business through direct marketing, new product development and brand strategy. He also held senior marketing and strategy positions at Guinness, PepsiCo and Boston Consulting Group.

Mr. Sparks is a current member of the Board of Directors of Vonage Holdings Corp. He holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a B.S.E. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University.

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About Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.

With more than 17,500 points of distribution in nearly 60 countries worldwide, Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) is one of the world's leading franchisors of quick service restaurants (QSR) serving hot and cold coffee and baked goods, as well as hard-serve ice cream. At the end of first quarter 2013, Dunkin' Brands' nearly 100 percent franchised business model included more than 10,500 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants and more than 7,000 Baskin-Robbins restaurants. For the full-year 2012, the company had franchisee-reported sales of approximately $8.8 billion. Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. is headquartered in Canton, Mass.

Contact(s):

Stacey Caravella (Investors)

Director, Investor Relations

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

investor.relations@dunkinbrands.com

781-737-3200

Michelle King (Media)

Director, Global Public Relations

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

michelle.king@dunkinbrands.com

781-737-5200