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Bread Ahead started its life in Borough Market in 2013. The Southwark market is where the now-beloved business made its name, where those famous crème brûlée doughnuts were first served, where the brand launched its very first baking school. In the years since, Bread Ahead grew so popular that it was able to open additional branches in King’s Cross, South Kensington and Wembley, as well as overseas. But now, the future of Bread Ahead’s original home is at risk.
Bread Ahead says it is being forced to move out of Borough Market. On Thursday September 10, founder Matthew Jones shared that the business was told that it’s ‘become too successful’ to stay in the market and that its international growth means that its lease will not be renewed. He added in a video posted to Instagram that the closure would lead to the loss of 83 jobs.
Jones said: ‘In 2013, I started Bread Ahead at Borough Market with a small market stall, three products and a lot of hard work. There was no big investment behind me. No corporate backing. Just an idea I believed in, a love of baking and a determination to make it work. Borough Market gave us our start. It became our home. It is where Bread Ahead grew up.
‘I honestly never imagined that being successful could put our home at risk. We haven’t been bought by a multinational. We haven’t become a faceless chain. We are still founder-led. We still bake, we still teach, we still employ people and we still have our roots firmly planted in Borough Market. Yes, we have grown. But surely that should be something to celebrate, not a reason to ask us to leave.’
The news comes shortly after it was revealed that Bread Ahead will be opening a bakery in Harpenden, its first UK branch outside of London. It also has bakeries in Dubai, the US, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and the Philippines and is preparing to make its US debut in New York in November.
And Bread Ahead isn’t the only Borough Market resident that could be evicted. In July, the owners of Maria’s Market Cafe, which has been there for 65 years, were told that their lease would not be renewed. Its future is still up in the air.
A spokesperson for Borough Market said: ‘Our relationships with traders are really important to us, whether they’re actively trading or as part of our alumni of success stories.
‘We continue to be in contact with the Bread Ahead team about their future at the market, but as discussions relating to individual tenancies are confidential it would not be appropriate to comment on the specific details of this case.’
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