Warburtons

Warburtons is a British baking firm based in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. The firm produces one million bakery products per day. The company employs around 3,300 people at eleven bakeries across the United Kingdom. It is the UK's third biggest bread manufacturer after Allied Bakeries and RHM (British Bakeries). It makes no own-label products, just its own.

History

Married couple Ellen and Thomas Warburton in 1876 purchased a small grocery shop in Bolton. The business grew and thomas's nephew Henry joined the business at 16. Henry was a skilled baker by the age of 25. New technology drove the business forward and Henry continued to expand the business. The location of the bakery was moved 4 times in 25 years finishing with the opening of Back o'th' Bank Bakery in 1915, opened by Rachael Warburton in July 1915. Henry became involved in local affairs within the community and stood as a Liberal candidate.He also became mayor of Bolton.Henry Warburton died in 1936.

Warburtons grew with the purchase of several smaller companies in the north west of England. The firm continued to expand and the 1990s saw the construction of new bakeries at Eastwood in Nottinghamshire, Bellshill and Wednesbury. In October 2003, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh opened Warburtons eleventh bakery in Enfield, North London. In 2004, Warburtons increased production in Scotland with completion of Bellshill, phase two. Rathbones Bakeries, based in Walsall, went into administration in April 2005, and Warburtons bought a bakery at Stockton-on-Tees just off the A66 near Preston-on-Tees in January 2005, and another bakery at Rogerstone near the A467 at Newport in November 2005. A new £60m 12 acre super bakery in Castleford, West Yorkshire opened in March 2006. It is the largest bakery in Europe. Other bakeries outside of the Greater Manchester area are in Newburn for Newcastle-upon-Tyne next to the A6085 and River Tyne.

The 'official' Bread World Cup in 2006 saw Warburton's Toastie Bread in the final, and winning the World Cup itself after seeing off over 32 other varieties in a straight knock out competition.

External links

• Warburtons website
• Reviews of Blackpool Milk Roll
• Reviews of Seeded Batch Loaf
• Reviews of Potato Cakes

News items

• Interview with Jonathan Warburton in 2007
• The cost of bread
• Wednesbury bakery opens in 2001
• Tuscany Park bakery opens in 2006