From the humble origins of a small fishing village in Cornwall, Cornish Bakery has been highly successful in expanding into ‘tourist hotspots’ and has since moved into high streets, retail outlet centres, motorway services, and event spaces such as the NEC in Birmingham. Today the company has 66 bakeries located across the country and is looking to expand even further across the UK with a focus on the high street. “That’s where we see the real growth opportunity,” managing director, Mat Finch said.
The Cornish Bakery team has been working with an independent consultancy and to carry out a comprehensive scalability assessment and location planning strategy. They have identified target locations that will allow Cornish Bakery to grow from its current 66 bakeries to 411 locations UK-wide.
To lead this ambitious expansion, Cornish Bakery has appointed Jeremy Smith as its first ever property director. Jeremy brings with him over 30 years of experience in property acquisition and estate management, with an impressive track record of driving growth for major retail brands and blue chip companies. He spent six years at FatFace, where he helped grow the business from 70 to 181 stores – a company that, like Cornish Bakery, has deep roots in coastal tourist locations. He went on to lead similar nationwide rollouts at Crew Clothing, before taking on the role of group property director at Mothercare for five years.
Most recently, Jeremy was property director at The Works, where he successfully managed a 500 store estate. His appointment marks a bold step forward in Cornish Bakery’s journey and he will work closely alongside managing director Mat Finch to acquire leasehold shops in the strategically-thought-out target locations.
Cornish Bakery managing director, Mat Finch, 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.”
To cater for this demand, and to continue standing out from its competitors, Cornish Bakery is focused on the continual innovation of its menu. Recent additions have included a delicious apple crumble scone, indulgent raspberry crème brûlée pastry, a feta and pea tortilla and a unique hazelnut pain au chocolat.
Under Mat’s leadership, the company’s strong momentum has continued unabated, with 9% like-for-like growth since the start of 2025 and record-breaking Easter and May Bank holiday performances. Outperforming much of the market, the company has also landed a spot in the Interpath Top 100 Fast Growth list of all UK retailers.
