{"id":361,"date":"2025-03-15T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/?p=361"},"modified":"2025-03-18T13:03:43","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T13:03:43","slug":"bakery-chain-superior-to-greggs-confirms-high-street-return-after-closing-all-stores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/15\/bakery-chain-superior-to-greggs-confirms-high-street-return-after-closing-all-stores\/","title":{"rendered":"Bakery chain \u2018superior to Greggs\u2019 confirms high street return after closing all stores"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"Oddie's\t<\/div>
Oddie\u2019s bakery is loved by Northerners and it could return to the high street (Picture: @ELHTandMe)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A beloved bakery chain is due to return to the high street<\/a> after being forced to close all 13 of its UK stores<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Dubbed \u2018better than Greggs<\/a>\u2019 by loyal customers, family-run bakery Oddie\u2019s<\/a> first opened more than a century ago in 1905. <\/p>\n

Despite surviving Covid<\/a>, the company was crippled by soaring energy costs and dwindling footfall, leaving it with no option but to shutter.<\/p>\n

Upon closing, Oddie\u2019s<\/a> left a note for customers in its shop windows which read: \u2018The last day to stock up will be Saturday January 11. After 120 years we are closing our doors. We have loved being part of your lives.\u2019<\/p>\n

But it seems fans of the bakery have had their prayers answered, because the chain has announced it will be reopening seven of its stores. <\/p>\n

Five of its seven Burnley shops<\/a> and one store in both Nelson and Colne are set to open their doors once again in April, although the exact date is unknown.<\/p>\n

Owner and managing director, Lara Oddie, had previously revealed she was hopeful some of the 13 Lancashire<\/a> locations would open back up, thanks to a prospective buyer.<\/p>\n

And Waterfields bakers, founded in 1926 in Manchester<\/a>, has now stepped in to rescue the family-run business.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"F425YT\t<\/div>
Family-run bakery Oddie\u2019s may have closed all 13 stores but seven could reopen (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Scott Davies, of Waterfields, which has a long history of family baking between Leigh, Warrington, and Preston, said: \u2018Our priority is keeping these local bakeries alive and thriving.<\/p>\n

\u2018We understand how important Oddies is to the community.\u2019<\/p>\n

Oddie\u2019s is a well-loved staple throughout Lancashire, and previously had seven shops in Burnley and two in Nelson, alongside branches in Colne, Foulridge, Padiham and Todmorden.<\/p>\n

The closures had meant 100 staff were let go, despite them being \u2018like family\u2019 \u2013 with a third of them working for the business for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

Gutted shoppers took to Reddit when the chain shut, writing: \u2018Very sad, Oddie\u2019s is far superior to Greggs<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m sorry to see Oddie\u2019s go too,\u2019 @Dependent-Bet1112 added. \u2018End of an era. They will be sorely missed.\u2019<\/p>\n

Others also gushed over the bakery\u2019s jam squares which were described as \u2018real binge-eating worthy\u2019, as well as local specialties like fisherman\u2019s pasties and pork and pepper rolls.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Oddie's\t<\/div>
The bakery offiially closed on Sunday January 12 (Picture: oddiesbakery.co.uk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Facebook, Lynne Mitchell wrote: \u2018Nobody\u2019s bread tastes as good as Oddie\u2019s bread,\u2019 while Christina Marie said: \u2018Oh please come back. No one does currant tea cakes and custard pies like Oddie\u2019s.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just us regular Joes who might be excited at the prospect of the Oddie\u2019s return either.<\/p>\n

In 2005, King Charles<\/a> visited the\u00a0company\u2019s headquarters\u00a0in Nelson\u00a0to celebrate its 100th anniversary \u2013 and if it\u2019s good enough for royalty, it\u2019s good enough for us.<\/p>\n

Scott Davies, of Waterfields, said the Oddie\u2019s brand was \u2018cherished\u2019 by locals, adding: \u2018Our priority is keeping these local bakeries alive and thriving. We understand how important Oddies is to the community.\u2019<\/p>\n

This article was first published on February 27, 2025.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oddie\u2019s bakery is loved by Northerners and it could return to the high street (Picture: @ELHTandMe) A beloved bakery chain is due to return to the high street after being forced to close all 13 of its UK stores earlier this year. Dubbed \u2018better than Greggs\u2019 by loyal customers, family-run bakery Oddie\u2019s first opened more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":367,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361\/revisions\/367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}