Greggs to close four UK bakery factories, putting 740 jobs at risk
British baker Greggs plans to shut four manufacturing sites and cut around 740 jobs over two and a half years, in a £60 million restructuring aimed at saving £20 million a year.
British bakery chain Greggs confirmed plans to close four of its manufacturing plants, putting roughly 740 jobs at risk, in a restructuring that drew widespread coverage into Oct. 17. The sites earmarked for closure are at Enfield in north London, North Lakes in Cumbria, Pettigrews in Kelso in the Scottish Borders and Seaham in County Durham. The company said closures will be phased over about two and a half years. Operations at Treforest, Clydesmill, Manchester and Gosforth will also be reorganised, though Greggs' high-street shops are unaffected. The company estimates the shake-up will cost around £60 million, including redundancy payments and disruption costs, but should deliver about £20 million of annual savings in the 2028 and 2029 financial years. Management said the changes are intended to keep the business 'efficient and well positioned to support the next phase of growth', pointing to recent like-for-like sales growth of 7.7%. A formal consultation with staff and union representatives is now under way and Greggs stressed that 'no final decisions have been made'. The announcement follows a wider wave of UK and global job cuts affecting Netflix, HubSpot, Workday, Kroger and Pfizer.
