Beloved bakery chain that’s ‘better than Greggs’ to close town centre site for good after more than 40 years
A BELOVED bakery chain which serves “better sausage rolls than Greggs” is set to shut its doors after more than 40 years.
The renowned family-run business will shut its last remaining Staffordshire location next weekend – after bakery-lovers claimed it gave Greggs a run for its money.
Ending four decades of trading, Chatwins will close in Newcastle town centre this weekend.
The much-loved pastry shop has until April 26 to keep selling its popular baked goods.
Rising costs and a harsh decline in footfall have forced the site to shut.
But all staff members at the closing store have been offered jobs at nearby locations, including in Alsager, Crewe and Sandbach.
A notice displayed on the beloved shop’s window read: “After more than 40 wonderful years serving the people of Newcastle, we are saddened to announce that our shop will be closing.”
The message came from straight managing director Edward Chatwin, who continued: “This decision has not been made lightly, but a continued decline in footfall in the town centre, along with rising costs, has made it no longer viable for us to continue operating at this location.”
He announced the shop’s final day of service, saying: “Our final day of trading will be Saturday 26 April.”
The closure marks the end of the chain’s presence in Staffordshire – but the shop did not rule out returning to the area in the future.
The admired chain has been hailed as a true competitor to bakery giant Greggs.
Some have even said that Chatwins sausage rolls trump their Greggs counterparts.
Writing in Cheshire Live, reporter Angela Ferguson and her family explained how they tried the snack from both brands.
But after judging the quality of both bakeries, they claimed: “The sausage roll from Chatwins just tastes much better.”
They added that Chatwins even beat out Greggs in the cake department – claiming that the family-run business achieved the “right level of sweetness”.
Heartbroken pastry-fans mourned the loss of the popular chain on social media.
One fan cried on X: “Chatwins bakery shop is closing in my town due to costs they’ve been there years it’s so sad!”
Bakery-goers praised the brand, saying: “The food quality is first class, and there are plenty of options.”
Another simply said: “Chatwins is better than Greggs #hottake.”
And one punter claimed that the bread was so good that they “even take a loaf on holidays with me”.
The iconic pastry shop was founded by John Chatwin in 1913, and it has been run by the family ever since.
The company is now in the hands of the founder’s three great-grandsons.
Chatwins has 22 other shops in Cheshire, Merseyside, and North Wales.
It comes after another beloved bakery with a 150-year-old history announced its “devastating” closure.
The owners said that they were “utterly devastated and heartbroken” to be shutting down after seven years of service.
And earlier this year, a separate bakery chain part owned by a comedy star was also said to do better sausage rolls than Greggs.
Posting on X, one baked good lover said that the popular chain’s sausage roll “s**ts all over Greggs”.