A South Bristol bakery chain is set to create up to 32 new jobs after being awarded £30,000 by the Regional Growth Fund.

Parsons Bakery is looking to use the cash injection to open up five new stores by the end of 2012, with the hope of taking on both full- and part-time staff. The bakery, which celebrates its 110th anniversary this year, is also due to open its 25th store in the Chippenham area.

Nicola Elliott, finance and commercial manager for Parsons Bakery, said: “The additional money will help us bring in more people to support our expansion – not just locally but across the West, where we hope to have 30 shops by the end of the year. As Parsons Bakery continues to grow and expand, we are well-placed geographically to service our newest shops in Somerset and Berkshire, and to expand further afield into the Cotswolds as well as over the bridge into Wales and along the M4 corridor towards London.”

Parsons Bakery is based at the SEGRO-operated South Liberty Lane estate, which includes a 10,000sq ft bakery, shop and head office, and produces baked goods for its stores in Bristol, Bath, Somerset and Gloucestershire.

Elliott added: “Communication is always effective and consistent. What the management team at Parsons prize above everything, though, is SEGRO Bristol’s ability to either come in on budget or under budget in relation to the service charge. Our biggest challenge in 2012 will be the economic climate, so keeping overheads to an absolute minimum is our constant priority and SEGRO is helping us to do just that by providing value-for-money service charges.”