Much loved bakery with 13 stores to close for good after 120 years
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A family-run bakery will close all of its stores after 120 years in business. Oddie’s has 13 shops across the east of Lancashire, including Nelson, a town of 33,000 where it’s based. Its freshly baked bread and pies are so renowned, the then-Prince Charles popped by for its 100th anniversary in 2005.
![[The Prince of Wales tries a piece of 'Sad Cake' as managing Director of WH Oddies bakers, William Oddie, looks on during a visit to mark the 100th birthday of the family run firm in Nelson, Lancashire, Thursday October 27, 2005. See PA Story ROYAL Charles. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Photo credit should read: Phil Noble/PA/WPA Rota]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SEI_230307117-0b6e.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Even as it expanded to Burnley and Colne, the business remained in the hands of the Oddie family for four generations. But that has now all changed. A post on their website said: ‘After 120 years we are closing our doors. ‘The last day of trading will be Saturday 11th January. We have loved being part of your lives.’.
More than 100 people will lose their jobs. In November, Director Lara Oddie said: ‘Over the decades, it has withstood two world wars and their food scarcity, the Great Depression, the fall of Lancashire’s cotton industry, the rise of powerful supermarkets, and even the Covid pandemic, which forced us to adapt our entire operating model.
‘With an energy crisis quadrupling costs and footfall declining on the high streets, the Oddie family decided it was time to sell. ‘Sadly, an eleventh-hour withdrawal by the buyer has left us with no choice but to consider closure. ‘As a family firm, we have always seen ourselves as part of the local community fabric, making this a heartbreaking situation for us, our devoted staff, and the loyal customers in Burnley and Pendle who have cherished our unique products.’.
