Cooplands Bakery : Freshly Baked and Ready to Go

From a single, humble shopfront in Scarborough to 154 shops across the Northeast of the UK, Cooplands Bakery has risen over the last century to become a modern bakery business that has stayed true to its artisan roots. John Ruddock, CEO, tells us more.

FRESHLY BAKED AND READY TO GO

The UK baked goods sector has continued to expand over the last five years as consumers increasingly desire convenient but tasty pastries and pies with a distinct, handmade quality.

“Convenience and on-the-go have always been key factors when it comes to baked goods, but I believe the resurgence of home baking during the COVID-19 pandemic – plus the perennial appeal of the ‘Great British Bake Off’ – has ignited a demand for high-quality products that are more closely aligned with the consumer perception of what a ‘home’ or ‘handmade’ product should deliver,” insights John Ruddock, CEO of Cooplands Bakery (Cooplands).

Indeed, customers are increasingly hungry for more artisan, hand-crafted products, whether from a frequently purchased item like bread or more of a sweet treat.

“We are working hard to strike a balance in meeting this need across the core values of quality, value, and convenience, whilst still continuing to innovate,” he adds.

“Our focus on including regional specialities in different geographical areas of our business is a fantastic example of this,” he expands.

Today, the business serves 154 shops across the Northeast of the UK, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Supported by approximately 1,500 team members, Cooplands can be found in a variety of locations including high streets, retail parks, travel hubs, and local community shops – it even has a shop in the University of Leeds campus.

As a fully vertically integrated business, Cooplands serves all its shops from two bakeries based in Scarborough and Durham, managing its own supply network to ensure daily deliveries meet customer demand and minimise waste in the process.

HERITAGE BAKED IN

Cooplands is a bakery business with real heritage.

Established in 1885 by Frederick and Alice Coopland, the company began as a humble pork butcher and pie shop on Scarborough’s Market Street.

Over the years, Cooplands has evolved into a modern bakery business with an extensive range of delicious goods, including classic bakery offerings such as bread and a wide range of sweet and savoury items like pastries, cookies, and cream cakes.

It also has breakfast and lunch offers, including sandwiches and salads, personalised cakes, and sandwich platters for local events and celebrations.

Cooplands remains true to its roots by retaining a focus on hand-crafted ranges, particularly across sweet pastries and savoury elements. For instance, the bakery is distinguished by the fact it makes its own sausages and sausage-meat for use in its breakfasts and sausage rolls.

However, Cooplands also recognises the need to strike a balance between staying true to its heritage of traditional baking skills and quality goods whilst meeting customer demand for new and innovative products – especially trends driven by social media.

“We have a brilliant product development team led by Emily Anderson, who dig deep into future trends and then work out how to incorporate elements of those trends into products our customers already know and love,” Ruddock smiles.

Once Cooplands has developed a product it is proud of, the company works cross-functionally to ensure it can be produced at scale without compromising on quality, as well as guaranteeing goods and packaging are suitable for transportation.

“Our Victoria sponge muffin, which we introduced in February, is a great example of a twist on a classic – a traditional bakery item evolved to suit modern life,” Ruddock adds.

A RECIPE FOR GROWTH

Cooplands has evolved in recent decades through a combination of organic growth and acquisition, like the purchase of Skeltons Bakery in 2007 – a Hull-based bakery with 37 shopfronts.

Although the business has gone through some ownership changes during its 140 years of trading, Cooplands returned to local ownership in October 2025, reaffirming its commitment to those it serves delicious goods to every day.

“The business is now run by a Board of Directors who know and love the business, including myself – I started at Cooplands in 2001, when I was 17. I’m also delighted that we have Paul Coopland on the board as a non-executive, as he was responsible for so much of the company’s growth and success between 1984 and 2022,” Ruddock celebrates.

Coopland’s long-standing supplier relationships have additionally played a vital role in the company’s history and continue to be key to its ongoing success.

The recent shift in ownership has also brought forward a focus on serving local communities, demonstrated by stocking ranges and products that resonate with local customers.

“The recent change to localised ownership has helped provide a renewed focus on our commitment to providing bespoke ranges that support local specialities. For example, reintroducing Maids of Honour – sweet puff pastry tartlets – to our Hull and Northeast shops has proven to be extremely popular with these customers.

“We can also tailor our ranges to the local demographic, like introducing iced coffee-based beverages to shops which are local to a younger and more affluent audience,” he insights.

MORE THAN A BAKERY

As the food and beverage industry continues to better its environmental impact, Cooplands works hard to minimise waste – particularly as it fosters a growing presence in food manufacturing.

A noteworthy example is the company’s partnership in the nationwide ‘Too Good to Go’ anti-food-waste scheme, ensuring excess food stock is distributed effectively within the local community for a reduced price.

Cooplands also recently took part in a clean-up on Scarborough Beach, collecting over 17 kilogrammes of rubbish.

“The team thoroughly enjoyed taking part. These sorts of activities that deliver good in our communities will always have a role to play in Cooplands’ ongoing success.”

Elsewhere, the company has announced a new charity partnership with Candlelighters – a Yorkshire-based charity that supports children with cancer.

“All our shops will be fundraising for Candlelighters and we are looking forwards to helping make a difference to this worthwhile cause.”

SERVING THE HEARTLAND COMMUNITIES

Continuing to offer freshly baked goods to hundreds of loyal customers every day, Cooplands’ focus will remain on the heartland regions of the Northeast, Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire, identifying new opportunities and communities where the shop can resonate.

Case in point, the business opened its first store in Armthorpe, Doncaster, this month.

“There’s some work to be done on standardising our shop-front fascias and Armthorpe will be the first to feature our new livery, which we hope will appeal to customers old and new,” Ruddock adds.

On top of this, the new Board of Directors’ primary focus over the next year will be to ensure that it supports Cooplands’ continued success as a bakery that plays a key role in its heartland communities.

“We will be particularly focusing on quality, heritage, and the localised products that make Cooplands a destination bakery,” Ruddock concludes.

“Applying a customer lens to all we do is a priority – we want to ensure everyone feels welcome and well served by their local Cooplands.”