89 year-old London bakery backed by Romesh Ranganathan announces closure
A sad end to a South London institution
Coughlans bakery, which operates a host of sites across the South including bakeries in Croydon, Beckenham and Addiscombe, has announced it has gone into voluntary liquidation.
The announcement was made on the chain’s Instagram feed, inciting a public outcry as well as a response from bakery backer Romesh Ranganathan and a handful of his comedy contemporaries.
Coughlans Bakery director Sean Coughlan explained the move in a video statement, saying the liquidation would allow the chain to pay its suppliers, where waiting longer could see them left in limbo.
“It’s with the heaviest of hearts that I’m bringing you the news that sadly we at Coughlans Bakery are closing our doors today for the last time,” Coughlan wrote.
“The last 2 months with the fuel prices from the war, new NI charges & higher rates are costing us an extra £20k per week, this has affected us more than we could have ever imagined which is so devastating as March was a fantastic month, as was a lot of last year with our growth with new stores.”
A local institution
Coughlans Bakery was established in 1937, by Sean Coughlan’s grandfather.
It made happier headlines back in 2024 when comedian Romesh Ranganathan became a backer of the business, having long been a fan of its largely plant-based menu.
As well as vegan sausage rolls and wellingtons, the bakery produced vegan chicken sandwiches, vegan-friendly loaves and pasties.
“Gutted isn't the word,” Ranganathan posted in response to the bakery’s news. He can be seen across the bakery’s previous social posts, including getting involved with actually making some of the bakery’s items.
“Our lovely little Coughlans bakery has ceased trading,” says Coughlan.
“Up until March everything was going really swimmingly…. But then literally on the 1st April our extra National Insurance payments that had been put on us from the government [came in], obviously the wages increase… but the rates have absolutely smashed local businesses and local retail.”
He went on to explain how increases in the cost of fuel and ingredients factored into these events, alongside poor trade during the recent heat wave.
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