David Penny continues to add to his business empire with the acquisition of Barry’s Bakery – a northeast of England business which has been trading since 1957.
The purchase of the three shops in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear “fits perfectly” with ambitions for his Top 50 Indie business, Penny On The Move, ”to become the ultimate forecourt convenience destination”.
The bakery, which includes bread, cakes, pies, sandwiches and sausage rolls in its line-up, supplies a number of retailers, catering companies, and other establishments offering foodservice, such as farm shops, tea rooms and sandwich bars.
Penny, who last summer celebrated 30 years of running his forecourt network of now around 100 sites, has been acquiring a number of adjacent enterprises including hotels, farm shops and car wash centres. It is part of future-proofing his business which is focused on the North of England, Scotland and Wales.
At the same time Penny has grown to being the number five largest independent forecourt retailer, and describes the latest acquisition as ”combining strengths to create fresh energy and new opportunities for both businesses”.
Penny adds: ”“We are delighted that Barry’s Bakery is joining the Penny family. Diversification is key for us — not just because of electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles, but also because of the lifestyle changes we’ve seen since the pandemic.”
