180 jobs at risk at Allied Bakeries' Cardiff factory

The Cardiff bakery employs 360 staff

Up to 180 jobs are at risk after a bakery announced plans to halt production at its site in Cardiff.

Allied Bakeries, which makes the Kingsmill brand, said it wanted to move its bread making operations to "larger facilities in the UK".

The facility in the Heath area of the city would be used as a distribution depot for Wales and south-west England.

The firm said it would now enter consultations with the 360 staff at the Maes-y-Coed Road site.

"If these proposals are accepted it will regrettably result in some redundancies and we understand that this announcement will be unsettling for our colleagues in Cardiff," said a company official.

The Bakers, Food & Allied Workers Union said it was "devastating news" and it was "disappointed" with the decision.

A spokesman said it would end "a long tradition of baking products on this site" and affect the support supply chain and community.

"Unfortunately, bread is in decline in the UK and an excess of bread manufacturing means that bakery closures are a consequence of that, coupled with the big retailers wanting cheaper products that are dictated to by cost rather than the quality of the product," the spokesman added.

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As well as Kingsmill, Allied Bakeries is known for Allison's, Sunblest, and Burgen bread brands.

It employs about 4,000 people across the UK.

Earlier this year, the firm lost a contract for a major store own-brand label bread.

The company said it prompted a review of its UK bakery operations.

"If these changes go ahead we will provide support to anyone impacted to help them find a new job, either at another Allied Bakeries' site, or elsewhere in the local community," added a spokesman for Allied Bakeries.

Allied Bakeries is part of the grocery division of its parent company, Associated British Foods, which also owns major firms such as fashion retailer Primark and tea supplier Twinings.