Allied Bakeries: Orpington depot could close, risking jobs

Allied Bakeries is currently consulting on a proposal to shut its Cray Avenue depot, which is on the same site as the bakery it closed in 2015.

It is expected that more than half of the depot’s employees will be offered transfers to Walthamstow or Stevenage, while the rest will be made redundant.

The site prior to its redevelopment last year (Wiki)

A spokesperson for Allied Bakeries said: “Allied Bakeries is currently consulting on a proposal to close its Orpington Depot.

“Regrettably, if these proposals are accepted, it will result in some redundancies and we recognise that this will be a difficult and uncertain time for our staff.

“We do expect to be able to transfer a significant number of jobs from Orpington to our bakeries in Walthamstow and Stevenage, and will provide support to anyone impacted to help them find alternative work, either within our bakery network, or another business owned by our parent company, Associated British Foods.

“This proposal is part of a number of changes we are making across our organisation to improve our flexibility and efficiency in what is an extremely challenging market.”

• Read more: Orpington bakery open since 1938 could stop bread production

Allied Bakeries was said to be the second largest employer in Orpington before the closure of the bakery, which opened in 1938, costing around 170 jobs.

The depot remained on the site, which was redeveloped last year, acting as a distribution and logistics centre.