AN iconic bakery brand is set to disappear from bargain supermarket’s shelves for good.
The 100-year-old brand is facing closure for the second time in two years.
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Rathbones Bakery site is shutting down after reporting lossesCredit: Morrisons
Morrisons is shutting down Rathbones Bakery site in Wakefield, putting 115 jobs at risk.
It’s the second time in two years the supermarket chain announced the closure of the facility.
In November 2024, the struggling site was on the brink of closure but was kept open on a reduced scale after undergoing a restructure.
The bakery switched its focus from white bread to only specialty products such as pita, crumpets, pancakes and rolls.
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At the time, 270 of Rathbones staff left their jobs after accepting a voluntarily redundancy.
The bakery was estimated to break even by 2027, according to the Grocer.
However, Morrisons told the Grocer that the business continued to operate at a loss despite “tremendous” efforts to grow the site.
A Morrisons spokesperson said: “Regrettably, having thoroughly reviewed all alternatives, we can no longer see a way back to breakeven and have taken the difficult decision to close the remaining facility.
“This proposal does unfortunately mean colleagues at the site are at risk of redundancy.
“We are however fully committed to doing everything we can to help all those affected, including identifying any other suitable roles available elsewhere in the Myton Group.”
The supermarket chain is yet to decide on selling or repurposing the 28,000sq ft facility.
Morrisons in-store bakeries won’t be affected by the closure.
Rathbones Bakery was established in 1893, and sold to Morrisons in 2005 to save the firm from falling into administration.
