A HISTORIC family-run bakery may reopen some of its stores after it was forced to close all of its locations and let 100 employees go.
The owner of beloved store Oddie’s, which was based in Nelson, Lancashire, has said that she is hopeful seven of its 13 shops will reopen.
The baked goods chain – established in 1905 and run by the same family ever since – managed to stay open through both World Wars, the Great Depression and the Covid pandemic.
But managing director Lara Oddie has shown hope that negotiations may result in a return for the beloved franchise.
She said: “If negotiations go well and certain recipes change hands, you might see your particular favourite make a reappearance.”
Founded at the start of the 20th century by William Henry Oddie, the chain operates 13 stores in locations such as Burnley, Colne, Foulridge, Nelson, Padiham, and Todmorden, alongside a central bakery in Nelson.
The business is renowned for its traditional bread, savoury pastries, and sweet treats.
Over the decades, Oddie’s has weathered monumental challenges, including two world wars, the Great Depression, and the fall of Lancashire’s cotton industry.
The much loved fourth-generation shop also survived the pandemic, during which the shop rationalised its product range, staff, and outlets to adapt to changing conditions.
Despite its resilience, Oddie’s has been severely impacted by soaring energy costs, which have quadrupled, as well as a sharp decline in high-street footfall.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Much-loved bakery chain to close all locations for good” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6354165169112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Lara also spoke about her experience trying to keep the business afloat.
“I worked behind the scenes really hard all last year on a deal and literally three weeks before it was meant to happen, the guy pulled out, which left me with very few options and fewer resources,” she said.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D107864%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]“But, since the announcements have been made more public, other people have come out of the woodwork.
“So, I am still negotiating with interested parties behind the scenes and I’ve got everything crossed that maybe seven of my shops would reopen shortly.”
Lara also said a third of the employees had worked for the bakery for more than 20 years and that they “are like a family”.
“It’s very sad and it’s been heartbreaking for all of us,” she added.
The firm previously said the pandemic had “a profound impact on the business’ ability to operate at levels we were accustomed to”.