WARBUTONS is marking its 150th anniversary with a major £100m investment programme – headlined by the purchase of the former Rathbones bakery in Wakefield, which was earmarked for closure with 115 jobs at risk earlier this year.
The family firm has struck a deal with Myton Food Group to acquire the land, buildings and machinery at the 28,000 sq ft site, which Morrisons’ manufacturing arm had decided to shutter after years of losses and failed turnaround attempts.
The Wakefield plant will become Warburtons’ 13th bakery, producing branded lines to meet growing demand and support future product innovation, with more than 40 roles initially created across manufacturing, warehousing and distribution once it opens, expected in September.
Read More:
- Bradford Bazaar Traders Say They Were Given Just Days’ Notice to Stop Trading
- Loud bang heard as Bradford man ‘armed with a knife attacked a primary school’
- Prolific shoplifter jailed after causing harm to city businesses
Warburtons is also doubling the size of its Newburn gluten‑free bakery, adding a new distribution centre at Biggleswade and installing new crumpet and pancake lines in Burnley and Bolton to serve rising demand.
The expansion follows Warburtons’ 2025 purchase of the former Roberts Bakery site in Ilkeston, now fully operational, and underlines the Bolton‑based company’s strategy of long‑term, infrastructure‑led growth at a time when other bakery operators – Rathbones among them – have been retreating or closing sites.
