Rathbones Bakeries Explained

Rathbones Bakeries was a bakery founded in 1893, in Wigan, Lancashire. By 1997 it was owned by Greencore, through that company's purchase of Kears Group^[1] Two years later, Kears Group rebranded itself as Rathbones.^[2]

Kears was bought from Greencore by Finedon Mill of Northampton, for £20.6 million in April 2004,^{[3] [4]} a year in which it had sales of £100 million, with customers including Morrisons and Tesco. Following a fire the company went into receivership, with part of its operation sold to Warburtons and parts to Morrisons in 2005.^{[5] [6]}

Notes and References

1. http://www.greencore.ie/content.asp?topic=history&page=200 History
2. https://web.archive.org/web/20121105184743/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60015310.html Kears Rebranding as Rathbones
3. News: Rankine . Kate . Morrisons buys failed bakeries . Telegraph . 4 May 2005. 2011-03-17 . London.
4. News: Bakery company in administration . 4 April 2005 . BBC News. 2011-03-17.
5. News: Morrisons buys Rathbones bakeries. . 2005-05-03. 2011-03-17 . London.
6. Web site: Morrisons buys fire-damaged bakery giant. The Times of London. 3 May 2005. 2020-11-14.