News

The shrinking British appetite for bread is being blamed for the loss of more than 400 jobs at British Bakeries, including 32 truck drivers. The company, which makes household brands including Hovis and Mother's Pride, is shutting its Bradford bakery and a depot at Telford.

The loss of 32 drivers' jobs will come at Telford, which is closing completely. The Bradford site will initially retain  its depot, but the company says it will eventually want to close the site completely and relocate the depot elsewhere in West Yorkshire. It is unclear whether any jobs will be lost when that happens. The two closures come after others earlier this year and all the shutdowns are because people are eating less bread, says the company.

A spokeswoman says: "The move reflects an overall fall in the amount of bread people are eating. Consumers have changed their habits and whereas before we would need to supply the south of England with bread baked in the north, the south is now much more self-sufficient, so we don't need to transfer the bread and morning goods down the country."

A 90-day consultation period between unions and the company has begun and the main union for the sites, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), says its members have been devastated by the closures.

The unions  want to save as many jobs as possible but agree with the company about the main reason for the closure. Ian Wood, organising secretary for the BFAWU, says: "People are just not having toast with their breakfast they are having cereal bars and moving away from traditional products." British Bakeries is owned by Premier Foods.