UK chain with celeb co-owner reopening under new company after shock closure

Excitingly, a legendary British bakery chain headed up by a BBC Radio 2 DJ is set to be resurrected just weeks after it went into liquidation. Here’s everything you need to know.

Casualties of the UK high street continue to come thick and fast, with Patty&Bun, Leon, and Franco Manca being just a handful of names that have shuttered restaurants over the past eight months.

Following hot on the heels of Brewers Fayre and Beefeater setting their final trading date, came the closure of Coughlans Bakery, a company once branded ‘better than Greggs’ by fans.

Until June, the business had shops in South London, West Sussex, Kent and Surrey. However, all 31 sites were put on the chopping block as the business entered voluntary liquidation.

At the time, owner Sean Coughlan cited rising fuel prices and changes to National Insurance contributions as the reason behind the brand bowing out after almost 90 years of operations.

“This has affected us more than we could have ever imagined,” Coughlan said at the time.

Coughlans Bakery shut all of its shops earlier this summer (Instagram/@coughlansbakery)

“Which is so devastating as March was a fantastic month, as was a lot of last year with our growth with new stores, but as soon as April’s new government rules on NI, wages and rates hit, it instantly hit the high street.”

However, it seems as if Coughlands Bakery , which was co-owned by Crawley-born star Romesh Ranganathan, may have some life left in it after all.

The Sun reported that Gloucestershire-based Janes Bakery Limited has purchased the defunct business for an undisclosed sum with plans to rebrand and reopen the majority of the estate.

BBC Radio 2 DJ Romesh Ranganathan became a business co-owner in 2024 (Instagram/@coughlansbakery)

It’s understood that up to 25 of the former bakery sites could be given a new lease of life. They will apparently start trading under the name Janes Pantry.

The 170 staff who were allegedly informed via text that their tenure at Coughlands Bakery had ended are encouraged to apply for new roles at Janes Pantry, the publication stated.

“Every shop that reopens means jobs restored, a unit back in use and footfall returning to the high street, which we believe serves everyone's interests: ours, theirs and the wider local economy's,” the chain said.

Janes Pantry is set to take the liquidated business on (Janes Pantry)

Speaking about the takeover, CEO David Davies said: “Coughlans has been part of local life for generations. When shops close suddenly, the impact is felt by staff, loyal customers and the wider high street,” said David Davies, CEO of Janes Bakery.

“Our job now is to move quickly but responsibly: reopen viable shops under the Janes name, welcome former Coughlans’ colleagues to reapply as we go, and bring the operating discipline of a heritage baker to a much-loved local bakery estate.”

Janes Pantry, which began life in 1971, currently runs 12 shops across Gloucestershire, including sites in Cheltenham, Tuffley, Brockworth and Hucclecote. The bakery employs more than 100 members of staff.