Hitting a centenary is a big deal in the bakery world, representing several generations of hard graft, investment, and innovation to stay relevant in an evolving market.
Wrights is the latest firm to be welcomed into this exclusive club as it celebrates 100 years of operation. Started by James Wright in 1926 as a humble pie producer in Stoke-on-Trent, it has grown to become a leading bakery business owned by The Compleat Food Group, supplying savoury pastry and sweet baked goods to retail, foodservice, its own bakeries and even forecourts.
“Still having that independent mindset is what’s driven the brand to where it is today,” Helen Bowyer, commercial director – foodservice at The Compleat Food Group tells British Baker.
But with a century of operation under its belt, the question of how to take Wrights forward and make it fit for another 100 years has, understandably, come to the surface.
It’s a constant balance of “commercialisation versus integrity”, Bowyer believes. “We’re always looking for gaps – what can we deliver and what solutions does the industry actually need?”
At present, it’s all about labour, she says. While Wrights can’t necessarily help with that – although it did partner with Bako and Coleg Cambria on the Young Bakers initiative last year – it is offering semi-finished products which allow bakers a base from which they can showcase their creativity.
Elsewhere, Wrights is looking to balance its branded and own-label propositions and “flex its product proposal” to meet the varying needs of its different customers. “It isn’t one size fits all,” she adds.
This can be seen in the brand’s recent venture into forecourts. Wrights opened its first branded site with forecourt operator MFG in late 2024, with ten now up and running as well as hot towers in others. Bowyer says the trial is in a “test and learn” phase as Wrights is keen to not step on the toes of its existing partners in the space as it looks to “find a complementary proposition that allows us to extend the brand reach”. “We are looking at other propositions where we can extend the brand again in a complementary way rather than just through that one format,” she adds.
The business has also spruced up its shop estate to make it fit for the future (pictured above). The new look, which sees the name evolve to ‘Wrights the Bakery’, features a modern twist on its existing branding with a bolder version of its orange logo, complemented by charcoal facades, digital menu screens, and new staff uniforms in black with orange accents. “We’re modernising the brand without losing the traditional and heritage element,” Bowyer explains.
There are likely to be further changes to the shop estate as she reveals an ambition to open a couple more shops in the next year (providing the right location can be found) with a potential reshuffling of existing locations to make sure they’re all working as hard as they can be. Indeed, the business added its first site in Leicester to its portfolio just last week as part of plans to scale its franchise model and expand beyond its West Midlands heartland.
Crewe is unlikely to be on the new openings list even though the commercial director shares that Wrights is frequently asked by customers to open a shop in the Cheshire town. “We’ve done it twice, it doesn’t work,” she laughs, stating that Chatwins has a firm hold on the market there and is doing a good job. “There’s no point fighting over something that isn’t there to be fought over,” she adds.
100 years of innovation
Although some things have changed over the past century, some things would feel pretty familiar to those around at the start. Pies, for example, still feature heavily in the portfolio as Bowyer insists “the core classics will always persist”. Notably, the iconic Wrights meat & potato pie is still made using the same 11 original ingredients.
It’s no surprise then that the firm has chosen to celebrate with another pie – the aptly named the Centenary Chicken, Leek & Bacon Pie. Developed in collaboration with leading chef and Great British Menu star Thom Bateman, the pie features chicken thigh, leek and bacon in a rich, creamy filling, encased in cheese shortcrust pastry with a puff lid and finished with a bacon-flavoured crumb.
The recipe underwent a detailed development process supported by Peter Wright, former chairman and CEO of Wrights and grandson of the founders, ensuring the final recipe reflects both contemporary culinary insight and Wrights’ century-long craftsmanship.
In a nod to its expansion beyond savoury, Wrights also rolled out a Centenary Caramel Custard Slice. The celebratory twist on its Vanilla Custard Slice has layers of rich caramel custard between crisp puff pastry, finished with decadent icing and it is topped with swirls of caramel icing.
“It’s my favourite… Maybe it’s a bit old school but nostalgia kicks in,” beams Bowyer, speaking of the original slice. The element of salted caramel in the centenary version elevates it, bringing it in-line with more modern flavours to tempt fans of the classic as well as new customers.
Building on 100 years of know-how
With centennial celebrations firmly under way, Wrights isn’t resting on its laurels as Bowyer and the team understands the need to move with the market to secure another 100 years of business.
“It’s so easy in our industry to know you’ve got good product, get your head down and keep doing what you’re doing,” she says. “But sometimes you need to take a step back and ask, ‘how do we put the brand on the map for people who don’t know it or are new to the industry?’”
She likens the Wrights journey to that of Warburtons – taking a family-owned bakery company and scaling it up without losing the understanding of the market and your customers. While Wrights isn’t necessarily looking for market domination on the scale that Warburtons has achieved, it is hoping for growth and wider recognition with a multi-pronged strategy in place to help it secure this.
As outlined above, some are already in place – shop refreshes for its estate, touchpoints in forecourt, and branded signage for wholesale customers who want to shout about their connection to name a few. Even though it has 100 years of experience behind it, Wrights believes it’s just “at the start of a really strong journey”.
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