The popular chain has blamed increasing costs and the decline of the high street for the move
The bakery chain is closing 19 branches(Image: Getty)
A beloved bakery chain has revealed plans to shut 19 branches nationwide, with 100 jobs set to be lost as a result.
Sayers Bakery, a treasured name with outlets throughout Merseyside and beyond, will be closing nearly a fifth of its shops later this month, reports the Express.
The business traces its roots back to 1912 in Old Swan, where founders Fred and Lylian Sayer first sold their baked treats from a modest basement kitchen. Since those early days, the company has transformed considerably, including a partial rebranding to Poundbakery and changes in ownership.
Currently, Sayers is under the ownership of Karen Wood and managed by Mark James and David Silvester.
In a statement provided to The Liverpool Echo, the firm behind both Sayers and Poundbakery confirmed that 19 locations, yet to be publicly identified, will cease trading by the end of this month.
The statement read: “Following a comprehensive review of our store portfolio, the company has concluded that a number of locations are no longer commercially viable.”
“After careful consideration, the senior management has therefore proposed to close 19 underperforming shops at the end of August 2026, which is expected to result in approximately 100 redundancies out of 800 employees within the company.”
The firm indicated that shifting consumer shopping habits have rendered several of the outlets unsustainable. Declining numbers of shoppers combined with rising overheads have prompted the closures.
The statement continued: “Our focus is safeguarding the future of the business, investing in our remaining 72 shops and protecting approx. 700 jobs while preserving our place on the high street, where we have been for 114 years.”
This latest round of closures comes after last August, when the retail group confirmed the shuttering of its Aintree, West Kirby and Widnes branches.
The bakery chain runs more than 20 outlets across Merseyside and nearly 24 throughout the country.
