Overview
- Coughlans Bakery entered voluntary liquidation and stopped trading on Tuesday, with all 31 stores across south London, Surrey, Kent and West Sussex closed immediately.
- Managing director Sean Coughlan said the business faced roughly £20,000 of extra costs a week after employer National Insurance and business rates rose and other costs jumped.
- The company said fuel costs doubled from about £3,000 to £6,000 and that two recent heatwaves cut customer takings to roughly half of normal levels, which it called the final blow.
- Owners said the liquidation was chosen so suppliers and staff could still be paid, and co-owner Romesh Ranganathan shared his disappointment publicly.
- Trade bodies and local leaders used the closure to renew calls for business rates reform and targeted support for high-street hospitality, while ministers pointed to planned relief measures.