Sayers Bakery, a beloved Merseyside institution, is preparing to close 19 sites, putting around 100 jobs at risk. The closures are scheduled for the end of August 2026, following a review of the company's store portfolio.
Historic bakery faces closures
The company started as a family business in Prescot Road in Old Swan in 1912, with Fred and Lylian Sayer selling baked goods from a basement kitchen. Production later moved to County Road, Walton, in 1922, before increasing demand led Sayers to move to a larger bakery on Aintree Road, Bootle, in 1925. By the early 1930s, another expansion saw Sayers move to a purpose-built bakery in Lorenzo Drive, Norris Green, which went into liquidation and closed in the 00s.
Sayers remained a family-run business until 1977, when it was sold to United Biscuits. In 1990, it was bought by Warburtons. Six years later, in 1996, Warburtons sold its baker's stores to Lyndale Foods, and the following year, the family expanded further when the Annes Shops chain was bought from Roberts Bakery. Since then, the company has undergone several changes, including a partial rebranding as Poundbakery and subsequent ownership changes. Sayers is now owned by Karen Wood and managed by Mark James and David Silvester. S&PB Retail Ltd operates the bakeries branded as Sayers the Bakers and Poundbakery.
Reasons for closures
A statement issued to the ECHO reads: "Following a comprehensive review of our store portfolio, the company has concluded that a number of locations are no longer commercially viable. After careful consideration, the senior management has therefore proposed to close 19 underperforming shops at the end of August 2026, which is expected to result in approx. 100 redundancies out of 800 employees within the company."
The statement adds: "This has come about after a very difficult trading period due to a number of factors, particularly a change in customer shopping habits, which has led to a reduction of people on the high street along with inflation on the cost of running the business, which has been difficult to pass on to customers while also maintaining sales volumes. 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."
Reader memories
Following the announcement, ECHO readers shared their memories of the beloved Merseyside institution. Marie Studley said: "I had a friend and her mother brought two boxes of cakes at the weekend for Sunday afternoon noon tea, a big family, and she locked the cakes in a cupboard with a key because if she didn't they would eat the cakes." Julie Rowlands said: "Sayer's doorstop toast dripping with butter. Heavenly!"
Carol Simmonds said: "My mam worked in Sayers on Walton Vale many years ago, she loved it." Dawn Courtney Steer said: "My late mum used to meet up with her friends in Sayers in Liverpool every day. I used to love their Eccles cakes." Roisin Walton said: "I moved to Ireland over 20 years ago and I do miss a delicious Sayers cheese and onion pasty or their strawberry tarts. My nearest Greggs is 40 miles away but it just isn’t the same as Sayers."
Anthony Joseph said: "Enjoyed working in the Norris Green bakery after school late 60s. The ovens were hot and hard work. Used to have a great laugh loading and unloading the bread vans. Got into trouble a few times hitting the boss with stale rolls!" Michele Bruce said: "Their custard donuts were amazing! I used to buy them direct from the bakery in Old Swan." Bailey McCrackin said: "Grew up in there with my nan, who has now passed, in Kirkby town centre, the toast was fantastic. Sad to hear they're going. Well better than Greggs. I’m a Sayers man me."
The locations affected by closures are yet to be confirmed. The ECHO has requested a response.
