BURNS THE BREAD IS BORN!

After spending ten very successful years as partners in a Devon bakery with Sandra’s parents, Bob and Sandra Burns decided to ‘up sticks’ and find a west country bakery of their own.

After much searching, the young couple found a bakery business that met all their criteria. It was situated in a good location in a small market town, it was a freehold property, it was a well established business, it had good living accommodation, and above all, it had further potential. This business was H.J.Janes & Son, situated in Glastonbury High St. There has been a bakery on this site since the early 1800’s.

So in April 1983, Bob and Sandra left Honiton in Devon, and moved to their new home and business with their three young daughters, Terri, Becky and Deanie. The adventure had begun!

Glastonbury High St. There has been a
bakery on this site since the early 1800’s.

The Burns Family 1983

Bob and Sandra were determined to make their business a success. They didn’t want to build an empire, but a caring quality business. Not just quality products, but quality service too. A place where people enjoyed working.  A place where people, customers and employees mattered. A business that supported the local community and would develop into an integral part of the fabric of Glastonbury’s rich heritage.

The couple had ‘bucket loads’ of enthusiasm and immediately got stuck in.

Sandra ran the shop and Bob the bakery. Many new lines were introduced and the sandwich and savoury side of the business was steadily developed. New breads and fermented goods were introduced and the customer base steadily increased.
They also began the task of building a new team to cope with the growing demand for their products.

Evenings and weekends were spent revamping the bakery and shop. Because their finances were stretched, Bob and Sandra carried out much of the work themselves. As the business continued to grow, and more funds to invest became available, almost every piece of equipment in the bakery was replaced during the first five years

Early in 1987, it was announced that a major supermarket was to open in the town, and would have their own bakery. Having heard many stories of the devastating effect that supermarkets can have on the local High St., Bob and Sandra decided to think positively and invest £35,000 on completely refitting the shop. At the same time it was decided to re-launch the business under a new name, and Burns the Bread was born! The result was a huge success for the business, and when the new supermarket did open, there was very little negative effect.

After encouragement from Bob, Sandra in 1991, decided to take a back seat in the business enabling her to spend more time with her ever growing brood of grandchildren. In May 1995, eldest daughter Terri, took over Sandra’s role within the business

During the same year, an opportunity arose to expand the business, and a second retail outlet was opened in the busy shopping town of Street. This proved to be an overnight success, and in1998 the shop was moved to larger premises in the High St.

Terri was made a partner in the business in 2008, and ably assists Bob to manage the day to day running of the business.

Early in 2009, it was time to expand again. This time we had the opportunity to take over an existing bakers shop in the lovely rural town of Castle Cary. We are currently exploring ideas and working on plans to develop the Castle Cary shop to secure its long-term future in the town, and as in Glastonbury and Street, be a part of the community.

In March 2009, we achieved the ‘Investors in People’ standard, in recognition of our commitment to invest in the development of our employees. We believe that the most important asset in our business is our people, and for the business to have continued success and security, it is imperative that we have a training plan for all of our staff.

We currently have a work force of approximately fifty, with six members of staff shortly to complete their National Vocational Training at Level 2 in retail, with a further six starting the programme in January 2010. Terri’s son Max, as a trainee baker and having completed his NVQ Level 2, is now working towards Level 3.

In addition to Bob, Terri and Max, there are two further family members working within the business. Middle daughter Rebecca, working as a confectioner, and Terri’s other son Casey, working part-time in the Glastonbury shop whilst completing his music studies at college.