Sayers Bakery, a chain with more than a century of history, is to close 19 shops across the UK, putting around 100 jobs at risk. The company said the shops, which have not yet been individually named, will close at the end of August.
Around 100 of its 800 employees are expected to be made redundant as a result. This latest wave of closures follows the chain's announcement last year that it would close its Aintree, West Kirby and Widnes stores.
A century of baking history
Sayers' story dates back to 1912, when husband and wife Fred and Lylian Sayer began selling their baked goods from a basement kitchen in Old Swan, Liverpool. Over the decades, the business changed and expanded, eventually becoming part of a wider retail group that also operates Poundbakery.
The company is now owned by Karen Wood and operated by Mark James and David Silvester. More than a century after Fred and Lylian began selling their goods, Sayers remains closely associated with the Liverpool area and has continued to operate shops across Merseyside and elsewhere in the UK.
Bakeries under pressure as costs rise
Sayers is not alone in having to close its doors. Earlier this year, Coughlans Bakery suddenly ceased trading after almost 90 years, closing all 91 of its shops across south London, Surrey, Kent and West Sussex. The family business, founded in 1937, had grown to more than 30 shops and had even attracted comedian Romesh Ranganathan as a part-owner in 2024. Managing Director Sean Coughlan and Romesh confirmed the news at the time, saying "gutted isn't the word". Coughlan said the decision was “devastating”, and that the business had been hit by spiralling operational costs that left it unable to continue.
In July, a 130-year-old bakery was also forced to close as the owners made the difficult decision to retire. The owners of Hobdens Bakery in Worthing said a lack of young blood in the business meant they had to step back and close the doors. Brothers Tim and Patrick Brosnan had run the business for 42 years before deciding it was time to retire.
Why is Sayers closing?
The company said it had carried out a "comprehensive review" of its store portfolio before deciding that 19 locations were no longer commercially viable. In a statement issued to the Liverpool Echo, the business said changing shopping habits, reduced high-street footfall and rising operating costs had all contributed to the decision. It said the closures were necessary to protect the future of the wider business.
The company said: "Our focus is safeguarding the future of the business, investing in our remaining 72 shops and protecting approx. 700 jobs while preserving our place on the high street, where we have been for 114 years." The identities of the 19 shops due to close have not yet been revealed.
