Asda to scrap ‘scratch’ baking

Asda plans to close nine of its in-store bakeries and is now in redundancy talks with a number of staff after deciding to close nine of its bakeries as part of proposals to “transform” its in-store baked goods offering.  It’s unclear whether any of the nine bakeries are in its Northern Ireland stores.

Asda said that move comes after it noticed a “shift” in customer buying behaviours.  The restructuring of its bakery will mean Asda will send pre-baked goods from a central location – rather than bake the products from scratch on-site.

Asda will now be required to enter formal consultation with staff – with up to 1,200 jobs at risk, according to reports.