Warrens Bakery is continuing expansion outside the south west of England with the opening of a franchise store in Taunton this week.

The Cornwall-based bakery has again partnered with local businessman James Tucker, who opened a Warrens franchise store in Bridgwater in August.

The Bridgwater site took 95% of predicted first-week sales within the first two days of opening, said Warrens, with almost 600 pasties and savouries sold on the first day alone.

Speaking ahead of the opening, Tucker said: “With Warrens, I know where the product comes from – something that is important to me – and I can follow its journey all the way from production to the first bite.

“Knowing that Warrens still use the same fresh, local ingredients and hand-crafted skills for every product sets them apart.”

The launch of the Taunton store, which opened its doors in the Orchard Shopping Centre on Monday (30 October), follows a string of openings for Warrens’ franchise sites, including Winchester, Birmingham, Bridgwater and London.

Founded in 1860, Warrens has three production sites and 50 stores. Its strategy is to expand rapidly through franchising, and the business aims to grow to 100 stores in the next five years.

Warrens was a finalist in the 2017 Baking Industry Awards in The Craft Business Award category.