Bakers Basco has secured a court decree against Edinburgh-based supplier Taza Bake following repeated misuse and unlawful retention of bread baskets and dollies.
A ruling by Edinburgh Sheriff Court went in favour of the bakery equipment membership scheme, with a decree by default granted after the defender failed to appear with authorised legal representation. The Sheriff refused permission for the company’s shareholder to act as a lay representative, noting that no valid application had been lodged.
Bakers Basco was awarded £13,795.30 plus interest, with the court also finding it entitled to recover legal expenses. A final hearing on this is set for 27 January.
The case was said to have been brought against Taza Bake, a specialist in Syrian flatbread khobez and trading since 2015, following continued unauthorised use of Bakers Basco equipment despite clear markings and several attempts to resolve the matter.
An investigation team in Scotland, now headed up by Richard Morrice, compiled evidence over the past five months demonstrating unauthorised use and retention of equipment by Taza Bake, supported by site visits and documentation presented to the court. The successful outcome was said to reinforce Bakers Basco’s long-standing enforcement approach and its commitment to maintaining fairness and integrity within the bakery supply chain, it said.
British Baker has approached Taza Bake for comment.
Bakers Basco operates a national pool of more than five million baskets and 500,000 dollies owned by Allied Bakeries, Fine Lady Bakeries, Frank Roberts & Sons, Hovis, and Warburtons, who established the scheme in 2006.
“Our baskets and dollies are critical to the infrastructure for the safe and efficient delivery of bread across the UK,” said Stacey Brown, national investigations manager at Bakers Basco.
“When they are taken out of the system unlawfully, it creates disruption, cost and waste for everyone. We always seek to resolve matters without litigation, but when businesses persistently ignore the rules and our warnings, we will take decisive action to protect our members’ assets,” she added.
Last year, Bakers Basco was successful in bringing a similar legal claim against Cambridge bakery firm Barker, which a debt of nearly £7,500 including court fees and costs yet to have been paid at time of writing. It worked with police to bust an illegal plastic tray chipping operation in the West Midlands in 2023, winning over £47k in legal costs and expenses.
Bakers Basco has since boosted its use of GPD trackers, ramped up equipment recovery in Northern Ireland, and issued its frontline staff with protective body armour.
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