Greggs puts 740 jobs at risk in major shake-up as chain reveals £60m overhaul
Greggs has put around 740 jobs at risk in a major £60 million restructuring, although the bakery chain says its shops will not be affected.
Greggs is planning sweeping cutbacks that could see around 740 jobs lost as the bakery giant launches a major overhaul of its business.
The high street chain said the changes will be rolled out over the next two-and-a-half years as it looks to cut costs, streamline operations and prepare the business for the future.
Crucially for customers, Greggs said its shops will not be affected by the shake-up, but unions have slammed the move as the company has also announced a 7.7% growth in sales.
The restructuring is expected to cost around £60 million, including redundancy payments and disruption costs, but Greggs expects it to deliver savings of around £20 million across 2028 and 2029.
Chief executive Roisin Currie said the proposals were designed to keep Greggs a “strong, sustainable business for decades to come”, adding that the company needed to keep evolving alongside changing customer expectations.
The firm will shortly begin consultations with affected employees and union representatives and stressed that “no final decisions have been made”.
As part of the proposals, Greggs plans to close four manufacturing sites at Enfield in Greater London, North Lakes near Penrith in Cumbria, Pettigrews in Kelso, Scotland, and Seaham in County Durham.
Its Treforest site in Wales will also lose manufacturing operations, while production will be reduced at sites in Glasgow and Manchester. Greggs will stop making tinned bread at Gosforth.
Distribution operations will continue at Enfield and Treforest.
The announcement came as Greggs reported a 7.7% rise in sales in the three months to September 26, with like-for-like sales at company-managed shops up 3.4%.
It has opened 95 shops and closed 38 so far this year, taking its UK estate to 2,796.
Greggs said trading had improved thanks to new product launches and more settled weather, and it now expects a “modestly improved outcome” for 2026.
However, bosses warned of signs that inflationary pressures could increase in 2027 as higher energy costs feed through.
Sarah Woolley, general secretary of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), said: “The BFAWU is deeply concerned by today’s announcement from Greggs, which places hundreds of workers and their livelihoods at risk as part of proposed changes to the company’s manufacturing network.
“Our immediate priority is our members, their jobs, their families and the communities that could be affected by these proposals.
“Greggs is clear in its own announcement that the business continues to perform strongly, that more customers are choosing Greggs than ever before, and that it is investing significantly to support further growth.
“Against that backdrop, our members will understandably be asking why their jobs and livelihoods should now be put at risk in the name of efficiency and future progression.
“The workers affected by these proposals have played a huge part in getting Greggs to where it is today.
“They cannot simply be dropped like stones as the company moves on to its next phase of growth.”