Village Bakery in Wrexham plans expansion after devastating fire

The new bakery will be the most modern in Europe, the company claims

A bakery which suffered a devastating fire a year ago is building new premises three times as large and creating 50 jobs in the process.

The blaze in August 2019 destroyed the Village Bakery's flagship premises on Wrexham Industrial Estate.

No-one was hurt, but managing director Robin Jones said it was the "blackest" day in the firm's 55-year history.

The company claims the new site on Ash Road will be "the most modern bakery in Europe" when it opens next year.

"My daughter was working in the bakery, so it was a worrying time for all of us," Mr Jones said.

"The fire service responded quickly and were fantastic but after two hours we knew we had lost the bakery because the flames were so fierce."

Within hours, production was stepped up at the company's other sites to ensure orders were met.

The bakery boss said he had been touched by a "torrent" of goodwill messages from customers, saying it was "truly humbling to see how highly they regard us".

"It was clear our customers were impressed with the way we responded and thankfully they stayed with us," Mr Jones said.

Bakery bosses Christien and Robin Jones have praised customers and staff for their support

His brother and projects director Christien Jones added: "The bakery that was destroyed was modern by industry standards but it was 10 years old, so things have moved on a great deal in that time.

"In a situation like this, you have to look at the positives so we have learned lessons in terms of making the lay-out even better and the equipment we're bringing in will be state-of-the-art.

"The new bakery is going to be amazing. It will be the most modern bakery in Europe."

Founded in Coedpoeth in 1964, the company sells bread and baked goods to independent retailers and supermarkets and employs 520 people.

Christien Jones also paid tribute to the response of staff to both the aftermath of the fire and the coronavirus pandemic.

"The 'Village People' will be at the heart of everything we do - they are the secret ingredient in our success," he said.