Peters (bakery)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bakery |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Defunct | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Durham, United Kingdom |
Number of locations | 71 |
Key people | Peter Knowles (Chairman) |
Number of employees | 580 |
Peters was a British bakery chain. The business entered into administration in 2012 and the business was acquired by Cooplands of Scarborough.
History
Peter Knowles (born c.1943)[1] was born and raised in County Durham.[2] He trained and worked as a baker in Leeds and London, but returned home to establish a bakery business at Belmont in 1966.[2] A second shop was opened shortly afterwards in Durham city centre.[1] Shops were opened in Teesside and North Tyneside in the mid-1980s.[1]
A rival bakery chain, Harrison's of Spennymoor, with 29 branches, was acquired in the mid-1990s.[2] Following the acquisition Peter's controlled around 70 shops, from Ashington in Northumberland to Northallerton in North Yorkshire.[2]
In 2003 its production plant at Durham was destroyed in a large fire forcing production to move to temporary accommodation in Peterlee until September 2005 when a new £9 million facility was opened on the same site.[3]
Peters Bakery entered into administration in 2012.[4] The business was acquired by Coopland and Son of Scarborough, who retained 22 stores and closed 34.
References
- ^ a b c Stokoe, Dennis (22 January 1986). "Rising bakers set for big expansion". Newcastle Journal.
- ^ a b c d "The accidental rise and rise of Durham's born-again bakery". The Northern Echo. 15 March 2005. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ "Mystery fire closes bakery". BBC News. 15 December 2003. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Cooplands takeover closes 34 Peters bakers stores". BBC News. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2025.