Bakery business Janes Pantry has confirmed plans to reopen at least 20 shops previously run by Coughlans Bakery. The Gloucestershire-based company acquired a number of sites from the liquidators of Coughlans, which ceased trading in June.
The reopened shops will operate under the Janes Pantry brand. Former staff from Coughlans Bakery will be invited to reapply for positions at these sites.
Coughlans Bakery, an 89-year-old chain with shops in Kent, Surrey, West Sussex, and south London, had partly been owned by comedian Romesh Ranganathan. The company cited high business rates and increases in employers' national insurance contributions as reasons for its closure. Ranganathan will not be involved in the new venture.