US buy-out firms Bain Capital, The Carlyle Group and Thomas H Lee Partners last night won the auction for Dunkin' Brands, the restaurant group brands including Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins ice cream. They will pay $2.4bn (€2bn).

The seller, French drinks group Pernod Ricard, put the assets up for auction in October after inheriting them as part of its purchase in July of UK rival Allied Domecq. Pernod Ricard will use the net proceeds of around $1.7bn to reduce debt.