Today is a sad day in Leominster, with Central Bakery closing its doors for the final time early this afternoon.
It was confirmed in August, that the bakery, well known throughout Herefordshire and beyond, would close its doors for the final time, with escalating costs and a drop in footfall the main reasons behind the closure.
A post shared on the Central Bakery Facebook page in August said:
“It is with deep sadness that we announce that Central Bakery will be closing its doors for the final time at the end of September, with the coffee shop closing first in a few weeks time.
“After nearly 70 years of trading as Central Bakery this decision has been a very difficult and emotional one.
“From 3 generations of the Burke family and a lot of loyal staff (some who have been there for most of their working lives) it has definitely not been an easy decision.
“Since covid and the loss of my dad, David, things have been very hard.
“The escalating cost of ingredients, utilities, wages and the dwindling footfall (most recently with the development of the high street/corn square) has made a huge negative impact on the business and unfortunately we cannot sustain the business any longer.
“We have loved being one of the focal points of Leominster and most of our customers and people of Leominster won’t remember a time without the Central Bakery being there.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for your many years of support.
“So between now and when we close, please come in and grab your favourite Central Bakery goodies whilst you can.
“With all our appreciation and thanks from all of us at Central Bakery.”
