In 2019, firefighters arrived to find the blaze had entirely consumed the one-storey production area at the bakery’s flagship site, propagating to a nearby office block.
Quickly responding to this disaster, the business announced plans for an impressive ‘super bakery’ just a year later, which will encompass 140,000 sq ft—three times the size of the structure that was lost.
Originally part of Jones Village Bakery’s future plans, the location for this ‘super bakery’ was shifted to a nearby site after the fire. Despite the destruction of its headquarters, the company reported a turnover in 2020 that surpassed pre-fire figures, leveraging increased production from its other three locations. Notably, the investment in the new Ash Road facility elevated the workforce from 350 to 1,050.
Recently, the bakery firm disclosed further positive developments, announcing the installation of a £20 million bread and rolls line at the fire site.
This new bakery is slated to commence production later this year, which will create an additional 100 jobs.
“We’re due to be starting production in the new bakery at the fire site in August. As cliched as it may sound, it’s a phoenix from the ashes. It will be wonderful to breathe new life into that site,” remarked CEO Simon Thorpe.
“The growth we have seen since then has been phenomenal and that’s down to our brilliant team.
“We not only survived but thrived when many others would have folded. Our darkest day became our finest hour.
“It will be an emotional moment for all of us when the new bakery gets going.
“We all had some very difficult times back in August 2019 but working together and having a purpose to rebuild from minute one – not a single person shied away from that.
“That was the day we saw the true spirit of the Village Bakery shining through. We had a job to do and we got on and did it. We pulled together and worked hard.”
Future expansion plans include a 70,000 sq ft addition to its main bakery.
Thorpe further noted: “It’s exciting times because we’ve only just finished installing a second rolls line and we can see that it is going to be full by the end of the year so the extension on the cards for the future and there is outline planning permission for that already.
“We’re very proud of what we have achieved in the past and those roots will always be at the heart of what we do but we have never been satisfied with where we are – and that’s not going to change.”
