The fall and rise of Greggs in Cornwall from rejection to six thriving stores

Revered for their delicious yet affordable cakes, sausage rolls and sweets, Greggs is undoubtedly one of the UK’s most loved bakery chains. The northern-born franchise from Newcastle upon Tyne, however, has not always had an easy journey to Cornwall.

With fractured beginnings, the chain tried to make its debut in Cornwall six years ago. But the house of pasta has not been as easy to conquer as company bosses might have initially thought, especially given how much its goods have always been adored elsewhere.

While hundreds of stores opened across the country, its first store in Cornwall closed within months. Whispers of staff recruitment problems because no one wanted to work there and Cornish customers boycotting the bakery over its so-called ‘pastry’ were among the reasons people claimed things were not going well.

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Opened in September 2018, the first Greggs store in Cornwall was in Saltash, just off the A38. However, unlike its other stores, it didn’t even initially appear on the Greggs website – and a Greggs pasty was nowhere to be seen inside its doors. And people were puzzled by the decision to open one here at all.

Following news of its launch, one local said: “Why in Satan’s name does our county need a Greggs? Why would we ask Greggs here? We have proper bakeries here, we don’t need cookie-cutter franchises like Greggs when we already have legitimate name factories.”

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The news proved controversial for pasta lovers who posted on social media. Another said: “Surely they won’t get that many customs except for tourists, right? I mean Greggs don’t even know what a pasta is! Their ‘Pasto’ is a slice with blood.”

But the brief foothold inside this service station was short-lived when it closed its doors just months later in 2019. Dubbed Greggxit at the time, it was believed that Greggs’ initial ability to succeed was due “his beef and vegetable pasta”. containing carrots and peas which proved no match for the wonderful Cornish bakeries we have available.

Greggs said the decision to close its only Cornish store at the time was due to a “thorough review” of its branches. But plans are still underway for “new locations of opportunity” in the South West, it said. The next grumble about Greggs in Cornwall came more than a year later.

In October 2020, Greggs opened its next branch at Cornwall Services on the A30 at Roche Victoria. A suitable location, the only branch in Cornwall at the time, would cater for motorists and tourists on the move.

Two months later, the Launceston branch opened as the brand continued its bid to take on Cornwall’s famous pasta makers. Two years have passed and perhaps the most controversial branch has opened so far.

Located in the county capital, the Truro Greggs store caused quite a stir initially, but people were lining up to get a taste on opening day in 2022. A year ago, signs started appearing on the Truro site, just a cornish pasty stick throw. manufacturers Rowe’s and Warrens.

People in a local Facebook group said they understood the outlet was struggling to hire staff, but it took some time before they finally opened, giving everyone a chance to adjust before opening.

In June last year, the Newcastle-based baker made a second attempt to win over Saltash after its first franchise store failed in the area with much more success. In November, it opened its Newquay branch. Finally, just this week, the Bodmin branch opened, taking the total number of stores to six in as many years, showing that Greggs’ venture into Cornwall has proved a success after all.

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