Valentine’s Day produced sweet results for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (NYSE: KKD – News) this year. The leading doughnut retailer had its largest single retail sales days in three years in its company-owned stores on February 13 and February 14. The 2009 Share the Love promotion was the company’s most successful and best-selling Valentine’s Day effort since the specialty heart-shaped doughnut was introduced in 2006.

Krispy Kreme company-owned stores sold more than 400,000 heart doughnuts during Valentine’s week alone.

“We are delighted that so many people chose Krispy Kreme doughnuts to share with loved ones and friends during Valentine’s week,” says Sherri Smith, vice president of marketing for Krispy Kreme.

Smith was one of a number of employees from Krispy Kreme’s corporate headquarters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to volunteer in stores during the promotion. The Share the Love promotion was available in more than 100 company- and franchisee-owned Krispy Kreme stores nationwide from January 19 through February 14.

“We worked nonstop to produce heart doughnuts, especially since many customers called in large orders for Valentine’s Day celebrations,” says Richard L. Clements of A-OK, LLC, a Krispy Kreme franchisee in Oklahoma and member of the Hal Smith Restaurant Group. “Our stores saw a jump in both heart doughnuts and heart dozens sold, and this can be attributed to the hard work of our team, who helped make this promotion so successful.”