Greggs to close Loanhead bakery next year, 100 jobs could go

GREGGS is set to close its Midlothian bakery in 2017, the company said today.

Greggs will close its Loanhead facility in 2017. Picture: Gordon Fraser

More than 100 jobs could be lost when the Loanhead facility shuts in the second quarter of next year.

Greggs said in March that it planned to close the bakery, but did not set out a timetable.

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But in a trading statement on Monday, the company said: “We expect to close our Edinburgh factory in the second quarter of 2017.”

Greggs’ sales in the first quarter of this year were hit by weak high street trading, with like-for-like sales growing 3.7 per cent in the period, down from 6 per cent in the same period last year.

In the trading statement, Greggs said: “As has been widely reported, conditions on the high street were softer in March before recovering in recent weeks. These conditions were reflected in our own performance.”

The company also said a refurbishment programme and revamping its product ranges have provided a boost, with its flat white coffees helping drive double-digit sales growth in hot drinks.

Greggs hailed new products, such as its teriyaki chicken noodle and falafel with houmous, which have proved a hit with customers.