Bakery 'too successful' to stay at Borough Market?
The bakery says Borough Market is ending its lease because of its international success.
Bakery 'too successful' to stay at Borough Market?
Matthew Jones left school at 15 and developed his baking expertise working with leading chefs.
Bread Ahead began as a modest market stall offering two kinds of sourdough, a brownie and some biscuits. On some Mondays, founder Matthew Jones said, it sold just 20 loaves.
Thirteen years on, the company has grown to multiple locations around the world, and a new bakery is due to open soon in New York.
But shoppers heading to the original stall at Borough Market near London Bridge for its doughnuts may be left disappointed.
Jones says he has been told Bread Ahead is "too successful" and that its international expansion means Borough Market will not renew the lease.
A market spokesperson said the renewal process was carried out "fairly and consistently" so the site could continue to be a place where "independent businesses can thrive".
Jones said he first made a batch of doughnuts at his Borough Market bakery in 2013, and they sold out in minutes.
He said: "They just worked. We made 60 and then we made 100 and then we made 200 and it just didn't stop."
During the Covid-19 pandemic, online baking classes helped boost the bakery's profile.
Doughnuts helped transform Bread Ahead into a worldwide brand.
In 2022, it launched its first international bakery and school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
A second followed a few months later in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
There are now 12 franchised stores across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and Jones believes that growth has worked against the business in lease talks with Borough Market.
The charitable trust that operates the market has told him his lease will not be renewed.
Jones said they were never told that global expansion was a problem and that "suddenly it's a problem".
"But that's no way to communicate with a business that employs hundreds of people.
"The whole idea of being in business is to be successful."
Borough Market has been at its present location since 1756.
A Borough Market spokesperson said, "Our relationships with traders are really important to us, whether they're actively trading or as part of our alumni of success stories.
"No matter how long businesses are with us for, we value their contribution to making Borough Market what it is."
The trust said it had been speaking with Bread Ahead but could not reveal details of the lease agreement because it was confidential.
It added: "Decisions around lease renewals are made through a formal process.
"Our approach is to apply these processes fairly and consistently, while ensuring Borough Market continues to evolve as one of London's leading food destinations where independent businesses can thrive."
This is the latest tenancy dispute at the market.
Maria's Market Café has also launched a campaign to remain trading after being told in July that its lease would not be renewed.
Jones says ending the lease would have wide-ranging consequences for the business, its employees and the surrounding area.
"Multi-millions of turnover, 83 jobs, a devastated community around us and a gaping hole in the market. I think the decision-making is terrible," he said.
As the dispute goes on, Jones is opening a new bakery in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, which he said will be the flagship site for a new owner-operated business model.
He said he hoped to help independent bakers build and own their own businesses using the knowledge and experience he has gained.
"I had three jobs when I was 15 years old. I'm not going to stop now.
"So if anything this is just a road bump. But it's one I would rather avoid," he said.