Forecourt operator Park Garage Group (PGG) is looking to extend the rollout of its Bakery 79 branded outlets across its UK estate and beyond.
The Croydon-based, family-run company operates 80 locations nationwide stretching from Cornwall up to Aberdeenshire. It developed its new fresh food-to-go retail concept last year with the help of food retail consultant Matt Cundrick, and then converted all 12 of the Greggs franchises inside its forecourts into Bakery 79 sites in March 2025.
PGG finance & technology director Manoj Tandon – part of the third generation that are now managing the family business – told British Baker that the idea for Bakery 79 was based on “creating wholesome food at great value whilst also bringing colour and vibrancy to the marketplace where we felt some brands felt stale”. He added that the branding design was a throwback to PGG’s history dating back to 1979, when his grandparents opened their first petrol station in Canning Town, East London.
The Bakery 79 menu features the likes of breakfast options, hot and cold sandwiches, pastries, sourdough pizzas, doughnuts, cookies, and muffins. Products are sourced from numerous third-party bakery suppliers and are either freshly baked off or finished in store each day. Each site is between 250 and 350 sq ft in size and employs from five to 12 staff members.
“The classic sausage roll is always the best seller with it being larger and packed with more meat than competitors. Customers really do see the value,” commented Tandon.
He noted that PGG intends to keep growing the Bakery 79 brand within its existing network, striving for exceptional customer satisfaction and operational excellence facilitated by a dedicated team.
“In the longer term, we believe the brand can go further than our own current estate,” added Tandon, hinting at franchise opportunities. “We aim to deliver a brand that other businesses can take on in their estates whilst keeping the Bakery 79 feel and magic. One day we hope to give the high street a crack.”
Over the summer, two more Bakery 79 sites have been brought online – one inside the petrol station on Bourges Boulevard in Peterborough and another in Leicester that showcases a new self-serve concept. This features a reduced menu of core products including sausage rolls and premium doughnuts.
PGG has since revealed a particular focus of expansion in Kent, where it recently opened its latest Bakery 79 outlet in the village of Bearsted, near Maidstone. This joins a site in Wrotham Heath with plans to open one more soon in nearby West Kingsdown and then at the remaining forecourts, which total 12 across the county.
Meanwhile, its ambitions are to launch 20 new “fully-fledged” Bakery 79 stores by the end of 2026 with an additional 10 self-serve locations.
Tandon promises there is a lot more to come from the brand that is only in its first year. “We have outlined our initial base products but are working very hard to create meals for all throughout the day whilst enhancing current offerings. Not being consigned to a large corporation allows us to trial and bring innovation quicker to market,” he said.
PGG also has a keen focus on technology. For example, its new ‘Park&Charge’ concept of fastest EV charger was enhanced in November by new touchscreens that offer a Click & Collect service for ordering Bakery 79 products whilst plugging in. The option to have orders delivered straight to cars is to be introduced next year.
In addition, the same Cybake in-store bakery software installed by Cooplands last year to improve sandwich trade is being used by Bakery 79 to optimise product availability at its sites.
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