Cooplands Comes Home

Coopland & Son (Scarborough) Ltd, a Yorkshire-based bakery business, has today been acquired from EG Group.  The sale brings ownership of the operation back to a team of Yorkshire investors, based where the brand was founded in 1885.

The management buy in has been led by David Salkeld, who will reassume his role as Chairman, supported by Paul Coopland, from the original Cooplands family, who will return to the organisation as Non-Executive Director. John Ruddock, who has been with the business for over 20 years, will continue as CEO. Two new executives, John Kitson (CFO) and Steph McGinty (HR & Transformation Director), complete the team.

Cooplands owns and operates two bakeries that manufacture freshly baked products distributed through its supply and logistics network to 154 stores, predominantly across the north-east and Yorkshire regions. Cooplands, which was founded by Frederick and Alice Coopland, started as a pork butcher and pie maker in 1885 and currently employs more than 1,400 colleagues.

John Ruddock, CEO of Cooplands, said:

“It is with genuine pride that we announce today’s purchase, which brings Cooplands back under the management of a locally based team with strong and established knowledge of our organisation, our colleagues, suppliers and customers. This gives us the opportunity to focus on strategic growth for the future, whilst preserving the traditional values and excellence for which the brand has been known and respected for over 140 years.”