Warrens Bakery has acquired three former franchise stores and is to re-open them as company-managed sites.
The business today (22 October) announced it had bought three of its franchise stores - Bridgwater, Taunton and Yeovil - and would be relaunching them as managed sites following an agreement with its local franchisee.
Warrens kicked off its franchise operation last February with a store in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, and has expanded rapidly outside its south west heartland through franchise partnerships.
The business, which won the Craft Bakery Business Award at this year’s Baking Industry Awards, now operates 70 stores in locations including the south west, Wales, Manchester, Birmingham, Hampshire, Surrey and London - 20 of these are franchised.
Warrens today said it was continuing its franchise roll-out by teaming up with “a major partner” to open a café at Bristol Airport, adding that a further 10 franchise stores were set to open by early next year. The business is also opening two company-owned cafés at Musgrove Hospital (Taunton).
“We are very excited about these sites which, along with our existing stores in Bristol City Centre and Wellington, give us a platform for growth in the region,” said Warrens Bakery chairman Mark Sullivan.
“As an established West Country brand with over 150 years of tradition and trust, we look forward to taking our handcrafted pasties, sandwiches and sweet treats to locals, who have been asking us to set up nearby for years.”
The initiatives will result in more than 40 jobs locally, along with regional management infrastructure.
Jason Jobling, director at Warrens Bakery and chairman of the Cornish Pasty Association, said: “It is exciting to expand throughout the West Country, while driving increased production out of Cornwall.”
No comments yet