A bakery with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media has announced that it will be shutting up shop next month. Over the past few weeks, many high street retailers have confirmed closures, some of which have been down to soaring costs and reduced sales.
And now, the viral Get Baked bakery has made the decision to close one of its two UK stores. Owner Rich Myers took to Instagram to confirm the sad news, saying that ‘being busy is no longer enough’. The Leeds Headingly branch, which was Get Baked’s first store to open, is set to shut on February 28.
The bakery is known for its enormous slices of layered chocolate cake, which often go viral on social media and sell out immediately after going on sale. The ‘Bertha’ cake is one of its most famous, a 24-layered delight that sells for £20 a slice.
The shop on North Lane first opened five years ago, with Get Baked’s other store located in Stevenson Square in Manchester.
Owner Rich, who first started Get Baked from his kitchen in 2011, explained in an emotional Instagram post that rising rent costs would make it unfeasable for the business to continue in this location.
He said: « The new lease would mean that the price we lay out in Headingley would exceed the amount we pay for our site in Manchester City centre, which for the style of business that we are, is just madness.
« Being busy is no longer enough to make most hospitality sites work, you have to squeeze so hard to the point where there’s no real fun left — record sales weeks become less of a joy, and more of a necessity. »
Fortunately, Get Baked has had huge success with online orders, which will continue to operate even though the Leeds store is closing its doors. Rich continued: « We are extremely lucky to have a very strong online business. We serve thousands of customers every week delivering desserts all over the country — online is very much the future of GB. »
Rich heaped praise on the staff members who had played a part in the success of the business, as he continued: « I have an enormous amount of gratitude for the teams that we’ve had in Headingley over the last five years — we’ve employed some incredible people that played a pivotal role in the businesses success.
« Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are — I’m extremely grateful. »
As well as chocolate cake, the bakery also sells a selection of brownies, cookies, pies and other desserts, as well as gift boxes and merchandise. Next-day delivery is offered for orders placed before 12pm.
