Cornish Bakery appoints first property director as it targets over 400 locations
Cornish Bakery has appointed has appointed its first ever property director as it looks to grow to over 400 locations nationwide.
The chain – which currently operates 66 bakeries across the UK – has appointed Jeremy Smith to lead its expansion push.
Smith brings over 30 years of experience in property acquisition and estate management, having spent six of those at FatFace where he helped grow the business from 70 to 181 stores. He went on to lead similar rollouts at Crew Clothing, before a five-year stint as group property director at Mothercare. Most recently, Smith was property director at The Works, where he managed a 500 store estate.
In his new role, smith will work alongside Cornish Bakery managing director Mat Finch to acquire leasehold shops in the chain’s target locations.
This comes as Cornish Bakery identifies 411 target locations nationwide, following a period of planning with an independent consultancy.
The chain opened its first bakery of 2025 in Cirencester earlier this year, and is set to open another six in 2024.
Mat Finch, managing director of Cornish Bakery, said: “The consultancy work has validated our belief that ‘bakery is the new coffee shop’ whilst confirming that there is a significant opportunity to grow Cornish Bakery across the UK. Customers are increasingly looking for food that isn’t wrapped in plastic, seeking something that is tasty and freshly baked every day. We are seizing the opportunity to bring our offering to more high streets, shopping outlets and tourist hotspots and I am delighted that Jeremy is joining us at this key stage of our journey to lead the charge in our expansion.”