73 jobs go as bakery closure confirmed

Warburtons bakery in Shaw: closing

101 to relocate or retire
BREAD giants Warburtons has confirmed the closure of its Shaw bakery with the loss of 73 jobs.

The 73-year-old factory will shut its doors at the end of January.

The firm, which employs approximately 5,000 staff at 14 different bakeries and 15 depots across the country, notified the affected employees last Friday on the final day of a 90-day consultation process.

Warburtons announced 101 staff have either been relocated to other sites within the company or taken early retirement — but the compulsory redundancies still needed to be made.

The family-run business said the decision to shut the bakery was based on the need to put the firm in the “best possible shape for the future”.

Robert Higginson, Warburtons managing director, said: “Closing a bakery is the hardest decision a family firm like Warburtons has to make but these changes to our manufacturing and distribution operations are vital to ensure we can continue to meet the demands of our customers and consumers.

“We employ over 4,500 people in the UK and our aim is to ensure a stable future for the business which can continue to contribute to both our local communities and the UK as a whole.”