���˿���

A Wrexham bakery has sold five of its shops to a Cheshire-based company but it said all 50 staff are being kept on.

Shops owned by Village Bakery in Wrexham, Rhos, Llangollen, Ruthin and Holywell will now be run by Chatwins from Nantwich.

Village Bakery said it now plans to concentrate on the "booming" wholesale side of its business.

Its managing director said it was important the five shops were sold together.

"One option would have been to sell the shops separately which would have made sense in strictly commercial terms," said Robin Jones.

"However, we deliberately chose to accept the best offer not the highest offer because we felt it was important the five shops were sold together as a going concern to safeguard the future of the staff for whom we have always had a high regard."

Retail manager Sharon Cooper said after the initial surprise she, and the rest of the staff, are looking forward to the transfer.

"The Village Bakery have really looked after us and they made sure we have gone to a very similar craft bakery that is family run," she said.

Managing director Edward Chatwin is a fourth generation member of the family firm established by his great-grandfather John Chatwin in 1913.

The acquisition of the Village Bakery outlets means Chatwins now have a total of 26 shops, with the others being in Cheshire and Staffordshire.

He said: "We have known the Jones family at the Village Bakery for a long time and both bakeries have a similar ethos and a real passion for our products, so it was a very good fit."

Village Bakery managing director Robin Jones had written individually to the members of staff.

"Like the Village Bakery, Chatwins are a family run firm of craft bakers and all the existing staff will be kept on with pay and conditions being protected. There will be no job losses," he said.

He added that Village Bakery has been growing rapidly in recent years due to the expansion of the wholesale market.