Patrick Dempsey Beats Starbucks in Coffee Chain Bid

by Nate Wooley | January 4, 2013 12:52 pm

[1]Actor Patrick Dempsey is the new owner of the bankrupt Tully’s Coffee chain.

Dempsey, famous for playing Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey’s Anatomy, and his firm Global Baristas purchased the chain for $9.15 million at auction Thursday, The Los Angeles Times reports[2]. The group outbid rivals included Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX[3]) and Baristas Coffee.

Dempsey had earlier expressed interest in the Seattle-based chain[4]. The actor announced the victory via a tweet last night: “We met the green monster, looked her in the eye, and … SHE BLINKED! We got it! Thank you Seattle!”

The company that owned Tully’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year. The firm had the 47 shops in Washington and California, and employed more than 500 people.

Dempsey says that while the bid won’t be official until next week, he expects the purchase to conclude this month.

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Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: http://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/patrick-dempsey.jpg
  2. The Los Angeles Times reports: http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-patrick-dempsey-starbucks-tullys-coffee-20130104,0,3638691.story
  3. SBUX: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=SBUX
  4. expressed interest in the Seattle-based chain: http://investorplace.com/2012/12/greys-anatomy-star-may-buy-coffee-chain/
  5. Starbucks Rolls Out $1 Reusable Cups: http://investorplace.com/search/?q=coffee&category=all&sort=date
  6. Starbucks Volunteers To Pay More Taxes: http://investorplace.com/2012/12/starbucks-volunteers-to-pay-more-taxes-2/
  7. ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star May Buy Coffee Chain: http://investorplace.com/2012/12/greys-anatomy-star-may-buy-coffee-chain/

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