An island bakery is to close, with its owner citing an impossible trading environment despite strong community support.
Jack Griffiths, owner of GG Bakery, confirmed the decision after months of struggling with rising overheads. He said the arrival of his newborn son had prompted a rethink about stability.
“Running this bakery has meant everything to me, the early mornings, the long days, and building something for the community made all the hard work worthwhile,” Jack said.
“The hardest part is that this isn’t happening because the bakery wasn’t supported. The community showed up for us.”
Alarming
Jack warned that local high streets are losing independent businesses at an alarming rate, with small firms left to carry “impossible pressures” and receive “very little meaningful support”.
“It often feels like small businesses are left to deal with these challenges alone, while those in positions to help don’t truly understand the strain local businesses are under,” he added.
He said the closure was not a sudden decision but the result of a long struggle. A final trading date has not yet been set, with the TT period approaching.
“The sad truth is that small businesses rarely disappear because people stop caring. More often, they disappear because the environment around them becomes impossible to survive in,” Jack said.
“We came into this believing community and courtesy still mattered in business, but we leave seeing things a little differently.”