Morrisons Plans Closure of Rathbones Bakery

Morrisons has announced plans to close its Rathbones bakery, putting nearly 400 jobs at risk due to ongoing financial losses. The Bradford-based supermarket, which acquired Rathbones in 2005, reported a pre-tax loss of £3.6 million on a turnover of £70.5 million for the year ending October 2023. Despite efforts to return the business to profitability, the company has deemed closure as a potential option after a thorough review of the bakery's future. Morrisons is in consultation with the affected employees and is investigating other roles within the group to assist those at risk of redundancy. In-store Market Street bakeries will remain unaffected by this decision. Speculation regarding a potential acquisition by Hovis has been noted, but no agreement has been reached.