Major bakery chain closes nine shops – is your local impacted?
A MAJOR bakery chain has closed the doors on nine of its shops for the final time.
Cooplands has closed the branches without warning as part of an "in-depth" review of the business.
The Scarborough-based bakery is the largest family-owned bakery chain in the UK.
It was founded as a single shop in Scarborough, Yorkshire, in 1885 and has now expanded to become the UK's second-largest bakery chain behind Greggs.
It has over 160 bakeries and 12 cafes across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the North East.
And is famed for its massive cakes and large range of sweet and savoury products.
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The popular chain has closed nine locations including Scarborough, Berwick Hills, Skelton and Great Ayton in North Yorkshire.
It has also closed stores in Lincoln including Woodhall Drive, The Hykeham Green Shopping Centre, Alford and Sleaford, and Houghton in Sunderland.
A Cooplands spokesperson said: “Following an in-depth review of the business, we are making some changes to both our retail and bakery operations, to help better position the business for the long-term and sustainable growth.
"This has been done to ensure that our store estate and broader business are fully aligned with our ‘modern bakery food-to-go retailer’ strategy."
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Local news outlets The Lincolnite and Northern Echo say that there was no prior warning of some of the closures.
Cooplands has recently been hailed as having the country's "cheapest breakfast" with hungry customers raving online about the budget brekkie.
While Cooplands may be trimming back on its stores, Greggs recently announced it is on track to open 150 new shops across the UK.
The bakery giant also has plans for a 24-hour drive-thru service, although it has not yet decided where the trial will take place.