'Sliced bread not the staple it once was'

OUR love affair with sliced bread is slowly being given the chop, leading bakers have warned after posting a loss for the first time.

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> Mark Brace, managing director at Brace's Bakery

Brace’s Bakery, founded in 1902, supplies loaves to hundreds of shops and supermarkets across Wales and employs more than 300 staff.

But the company says there has been a “dramatic change” in the way UK families are consuming bread - with many spending more on “artisan” or “sourdough” products.

The Newport-based bakers, a fourth-generation firm, issued the warning after the business reported a pretax loss of £1.7m for the period ending September 28, 2024, compared to a profit of £1.1m a year earlier.

Turnover at the business also fell to just over £34m from £37.1m in 2023.