The boss of Brace’s Bakery has said there is no need for customers to panic buy bread as there is plenty to go around during the coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking to the BBC’s Lucy Owen, director Jonathan Brace said: “It continues as normal. We have spoken with some of the raw material suppliers – they say there are no issues. Where we have demanded stuff quickly, they reacted.
“If things become more extreme we can maintain the volumes – there will not be a problem, everybody will get their bread.”
Mr Brace, whose family-run company has returned to profit recently, said there was no need for people to buy and freeze bread as it will be available in shops every day.
Weekly production has hit one million loaves a week – up by 250,000 on a typical week. The bakery has capacity for a further 250,000 week.
Supermarket shelves have been stripped bare despite the efforts of staff to keep them stocked.
Retail bosses have urged customers not to panic buy and only get what they need.
Supermarkets have now introduced rules limiting items for buyers.
Return to profit
The Crumlin-based company, which was founded in 1902 and employs just under 250 people, made a pre-tax profit of £982,511 for the year ending in September 2019, compared to a loss of £247,182 the previous year.
Turnover was up by nearly £3m to a total of £25m in 2018/19.