Beloved family-run bakery chain suddenly closes third store this year due to ‘staff shortages' and ‘illness'
Bennetts Family Bakers in Broadstone closed for good on Friday, June 14, marking the end of an era for the Lower Blandford Road site.
The closure follows the earlier loss of their Westbourne and Wimborne branches, leaving just three remaining shops in Southbourne, Winton and Parkstone.
A heartfelt note taped to the Broadstone shop window explained the difficult decision.
'It is with great sadness that this shop will be closing on the 14th of June,' it read.
'It has been a pleasure serving the Broadstone community over the years.
'This has come about because of staff shortages and illness in the family.
'I would like to thank everybody for their support.'
Founded in 1951, Bennetts has built a strong local following thanks to its freshly baked bread, pastries, and traditional cakes.
Many in the community were saddened to hear the news.
One regular customer said: 'It's such a shame. You could always count on Bennetts for quality and friendly service. They'll be missed.'
Another added: 'It's a real blow for the high street.
"There aren't many proper family bakeries left these days.'
David Bennett, the company's director, previously told the Daily Echo he was struggling to run the business while caring for his elderly mother, who is seriously ill.
He said: 'We've had an incredibly loyal customer base, and I'm truly thankful for the support we've had over the years.'
Local residents and small business owners have expressed their sympathy for the family, understanding how difficult it must be to juggle personal challenges with the demands of a busy business.
There is currently no word on whether more stores will be affected, but customers are being encouraged to continue supporting the remaining three sites.
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO HOSPITALITY?
Many food and drink chains have been struggling recently as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out.
Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.
Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny's closing branches.
Some chains have not survived, Byron Burger fell into administration last year, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs.
Pizza giant, Papa Johns announced it would be shutting down 43 of its stores this year.
Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, also shut sites as part of major restructuring plans.
This year has seen the announcing of further closures including from casual dining group Chipotle and an award-winning independent bistro in Merseyside.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
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