Cork bakery to close after 50 years

Thirty-five jobs are to go in Cork today with a further 14 job losses in 10 weeks' time with the closure of a family-owned Macroom bakery.

One of the country's largest bakeries, Neville Brothers Ltd, is winding up production from tomorrow after more than 50 years in business. The company, which was the main supplier to Dunnes Stores of its own-brand bread, has said it regretted the closure, but changes in the own-brand market as well as rising transport and insurance costs had made the business unviable.

"We're very sorry to see this happening. We've been going since the 1950s but it just wasn't possible to keep going. The markets aren't the same and insurance costs have just spiralled," Mr John Neville, bakery manager, told The Irish Times last night.

A small number of staff - up to 14 - would be kept on until mid-September, Mr Neville said, to supply bread to a few local shops.

However, he said, the company intended to cease trading completely by the end of next month.