Jobs to go as Greggs shuts Sleaford bakery

The closures in Edinburgh, Twickenham and at Sleaford Enterprise Park come as the firm announced it was to concentrate on more #food-to-go’ as people moved away from baked goods like sausage rolls and pastries in favour of healthy alternatives like soups and salads.

It also confirmed it was investing in its Clydesmill bakery in Glasgow to create a “centre of excellence” in Scotland.

The reorganisation of Greggs was announced as the company reported a 25% increase in underlying annual profits to £73m for 2015.

Greggs has about 1,700 shops and said it was confident it could increase the number to 2,000.

A spokesman said: “Greggs currently operates from 12 bakeries; unfortunately not all are suitable for long-term investment due to their location and size.

“These are difficult changes that we believe are needed to support the long-term growth of the business; however our immediate priority is to work to minimise the negative impact on our people, many of whom have worked in these roles for a significant number of years.

“Wherever possible we would look to offer alternative employment to affected employees but, due to the location of our sites, we anticipate that unfortunately many will leave the business.”