Oddies

[GetIntoEm]

There are a lot that point to quality on here, but I can't get over their price on sandwiches, you can go to birtwistles up top of padiham and get a massive sarnie for about £4, you'd need 2 butties at a fiver each from oddies to make it up to same size. Birtwistles still seem to make a go of it.

Same on pies and sweet treats.

Good value in there.

It's a shame for oddies, but the business has obviously not been agile enough to change with the times. Their costs are obviously out of control and cannot stay competitive

[THEWELLERNUT70]

Same. £6.50 for a sandwich and a cake is pretty reasonable I would say. How would you expect a bakery to charge less and make a reasonable profit with decent quality?

That was 2 years ago! It'll be north of that now

[Dazzler]

The maker in question hasn’t been mentioned but I’m assuming it is a local baker with a shop in Queensgate and they do have a 1 star rating

Why are we dancing around the name? Do you mean Mill Town Pies?

If it is Mill Town Pies folk are referring to as the shop that sells "crap quality pies" I'm amazed that it has won awards.

https://www.burnleyexpress.net/business ... rs-4052579

[Vegas Claret]

Closing down
https://x.com/AlBuHarg/status/1877405283137318938

[bfcjg]

Closing down
https://x.com/AlBuHarg/status/1877405283137318938

Really sad but I think they just overpriced themselves.

[Quickenthetempo]

A real shame. I walked past one on Saturday and when it was still open just presumed they had a repreive.

[GetIntoEm]

Open till satuy

[Taffy on the wing]

Sad times.......i used to love Oddies.

[Lip]

Really sad but I think they just overpriced themselves.

Called in today up Colne for last time ,will miss them,but not their prices.
1 Steak pie
1 Butter pie
2 large custards
2 bilberry Charlotte's

In total £16.00 .Absolutely gutted they are closing as I've been eating their stuff for over 60yrs,but won't miss the prices they charge.Sorry for all the staff who have lost their jobs though so sad.

[Leon_C]

Signs in the windows, Saturday is indeed their last day.
I'm not sure if there is a last-minute cut-price salvation deal for them, time will tell.
As has been touched on above several times - very nice food, top to bottom - but they simply failed to keep up with the value expected of an everyday bakery.
Whilst I have/had a soft spot for Oddies, it always felt like it was stuck in the 1990s. A bit of a nostalgia shop, if you will.
Some stand-out menu items, the pork and pepper roll is unmatched, but the prices just continued to spiral.
It will be a shame to see it go, but I can't say I'm entirely shocked.

[Leon_C]

(I will definitely miss their teacakes, for the Saturday morning bacon butty.)

[Loyalclaret]

My wife has been in every day this week for American muffin. Ordered to go again today

She will miss it

[Herts Clarets]

Called in today up Colne for last time ,will miss them,but not their prices.
1 Steak pie
1 Butter pie
2 large custards
2 bilberry Charlotte's

In total £16.00 .Absolutely gutted they are closing as I've been eating their stuff for over 60yrs,but won't miss the prices they charge.Sorry for all the staff who have lost their jobs though so sad.

Average £2.66 per unit. I don't think that is excessive for freshly baked goods made with quality ingredients, unless you compare with mass produced frozen goods from Greggs and supermarkets. There is a similar sized bakers around my local area, SImmons, and their prices are very expensive but more easily absorbed I guess in a more affluent area. Example my local Morrisons do 4 large sausage rolls for £2, Simmons charge £3.20 for 1, Morrisons 5 jam donuts for £1, Simmons 4 for £4.50 but their product is of much higher quality that the supermarket version.

Very sad to see Oddies go, as i have said before my first job after leaving school was apprentice baker at Oddies. I met some great people there, a couple post on here and one still works at Oddies with almost 40 years service and I still class them as friends. Kitch1966 is one and stevie2112 is the one who still works at Oddies.

[Clovius Boofus]

(I will definitely miss their teacakes, for the Saturday morning bacon butty.)

Me too. Their bread was good.

[Woodleyclaret]

Coming up from Reading for games we found Oddies were dirt cheap and excellent taste they will be missed .

[ClaretTony]

Me too. Their bread was good.

Bread was exceptionally good - had I been able to get there this week I'd have been stocking up.

[Dyched]

This is what happen when people want cheap cheerful crap over quality.

Where their shops are doesn’t help mind. If they could get units in or near Booth Stores for instance, they’d thrive.

[Clovius Boofus]

More down to limited household income rather than people actually wanting to eat a substandard product. The massive inflation hikes we endured from 2020/2023 really hit people hard in low-paid area like East Lancs.

[Burnley1989]

More down to limited household income rather than people actually wanting to eat a substandard product. The massive inflation hikes we endured from 2020/2023 really hit people hard in low-paid area like East Lancs.

Exactly that, people can claim the prices aren't expensive all they like, but the simple answer is, they wouldn't be closing if that was the case.
I'll miss Oddies, but I have found myself going less over the last 3-4 years, they didn't really move with the times and offer meal deals and the likes, which is what most workmen/women look for during the week when on the road.

[Stonehouse]

Struggling to find any bakers in Burnley and all we want is a dozen plain tea cakes ( baps) the bland stuff at supermarkets is horrendous ,but Oddie’s charging 60p each and it’s no wonder they’re closing.

[equinox]

The very least you expect from a retail outlet in 2025 is availability, Oddies business model is still in the 1970's, they won't refresh the counter after a certain time, still, despite enormous competition, shut early in the afternoon and don't open on Sundays.

Only one way you're going.

[ICL]

Today I went in to my local Oddies (Colne Rd), for the last time; there were tears. I’ll miss their bread and flapjacks the most. My grandchildren the Bilberry Charlotte and Vanilla slice. Sad day indeed.

[Volvoclaret]

Is no-one going to mention the rise in minimum wage and employment NI killing SMEs ?

[dsr]

Today I went in to my local Oddies (Colne Rd), for the last time; there were tears. I’ll miss their bread and flapjacks the most. My grandchildren the Bilberry Charlotte and Vanilla slice. Sad day indeed.

Charlotte's a lovely name for a grandchild, but what were the parents of Vanilla thinking?

[GetIntoEm]

Struggling to find any bakers in Burnley and all we want is a dozen plain tea cakes ( baps) the bland stuff at supermarkets is horrendous ,but Oddie’s charging 60p each and it’s no wonder they’re closing.

Birtwistles in padiham, far superior than oddies and far better value.

[Nonayforever]

Is no-one going to mention the rise in minimum wage and employment NI killing SMEs ?

Obviously the above was the last straw for the business and the reason the decision was taken now.
The same scenario will happen many more times over the country.

[Goliath]

If a business can't afford to pay employees a liveable wage then the business model doesn't work.

[rayzer]

I work in the catering industry and Oddies make a lot of fantastic products, but I went in on Monday morning and there were 5 staff behind the counter. I think that could be a major factor.

[4:20]

One of my earliest memories was going into Oddies on Padiham Rd after nursery with my mum and getting one of those giant parkin biscuits cake things. (They may not have been 'giant', everything looks massive when you're little)

[JR1882]

The very least you expect from a retail outlet in 2025 is availability, Oddies business model is still in the 1970's, they won't refresh the counter after a certain time, still, despite enormous competition, shut early in the afternoon and don't open on Sundays.

Only one way you're going.

This is bang on (along with the prices) it’s just not a viable business clearly. Regardless of what you want to be, you just can’t operate like that anymore, in a world of convenience stores and Just Eat you can’t have shut up shop after lunch and then say you aren’t making enough money.

Their sandwiches are a joke and I’m amazed anyone buys one, a young kid would still be hungry after eating one of them.

Very sad to see something local and well supported go but costs are just astronomical right now, if you can’t adjust and innovate then it’s very hard to make a do.

[JR1882]

If a business can't afford to pay employees a liveable wage then the business model doesn't work.

Minimum wage increases and the increased NI contributions will have just finished them off. Not a bad thing alone but you can’t pay that ontop of huge energy bills and raw food price increases over the last few years.

They won’t be the last to fold, cost of doing business is unreal and the only way to go is to pass it on to the consumer which Oddies can’t really do as they are already way more expensive than all their competition anyway.

[AlargeClaret]

Not so much their business model per se ,their locations are very average and the “ man” power needed at a busy bakery alongside their allied costs must have had their margins very tight . Throw in NI/Min wage rises and it’s good night . It’s clear the lack of scope in the locations meant no rescue and probs the reason they couldn’t justify raising finance yrs ago .

With the sheer mighty scale of Greggs and supermarkets destroying most local bakeries on price it’s no suprise .

[GetIntoEm]

Coming up from Reading for games we found Oddies were dirt cheap and excellent taste they will be missed .

I don't find it good value even compared to London prices

[Clarets4me]

Picked up two eclairs today, the best I've ever tasted ...

The prices are indeed higher than some competitors, but the quality was always good. I'll be picking up barm cakes for the freezer tomorrow morning. The policy of making the sandwiches at each shop first thing could perhaps have been looked at, they also never reduced prices towards the end of the day, preferring to dispose of the unsold stock ...

[GetIntoEm]

If only people on here used it as much as claimed then maybe it wouldn't have closed

[Burnley87]

The only reason Oddies is closing is bad management over the last 10 years. They haven’t moved with the times. When your charging £1.63 for items your business model is coming from a spreadsheet that gives you a profit margin and not what the customer base requires in that area and volume of sales you could get

Love oddies love there food…. Real shame

[TheFamilyCat]

There's gonna be one hell of an off box on Saturday teatime.

[jackobfc]

A real shame for this local business to close.

I’ll certainly miss the flapjacks, never had a better one elsewhere.

As we’ve posters who worked at oddies, any chance of the recipe

[ClaretWot4]

Real shame for a local quality business.

For me the misses will be :-

1) Flapjack (superb texture and taste)

2) Butter Pie (great quality and size - this and a flapjack fantastic)

3) Custard Pie (the best I've tasted)

I'm in town tomorrow, so no doubt will treat myself to 'an Oddies' for the last time

[ClaretTony]

Pork & Pepper Roll
Oatie Loaf
Custards
Vanilla Slices

I’ve been unable to get out this week so I’ve missed getting my final treats.

[Leon_C]

Agreed with most of the above.
Ultimately, you've got retail premises open for a short period (until 1-2pm), that attract the same rent and rates as a shop that sells a wider range for a longer period.
A few points above are very apt. I remember the Tunnel St chippy, some years ago, that closed as the owners retired. It was very good, but it used to close at 5.45pm. Fine when the customer base comprised mill workers, leaving at 4.30pm (perhaps) - but wide of the mark when the modern family might not be ready to eat until 6pm.
Oddies has often reminded me of a business cemented to the late 1980s. Lots of staff, very friendly, but quaint and somewhat outdated. It took them years to even take card payments.
To echo points made above, high quality is laudable, but if it's such that demand is low, then you need to revisit the business model to survive. It's a fact for every business.
Oddies kebabs, anybody?

[Jakubclaret]

A real shame for this local business to close.

I’ll certainly miss the flapjacks, never had a better one elsewhere.

As we’ve posters who worked at oddies, any chance of the recipe

Did a cracking flapjack. It’s a shame things have gone the way they have. I didn’t think the prices were too bad but I wasn’t a regular day in & day out just an occasional customer.

[Clive 1960]

Always used to put my order in for Xmas and collect lovely pie's and fancy cakes when i lived in the UK, sad day for the town but if you can't compete you have no alternative but to shut plus they have competitors who are cheaper..

[Clovius Boofus]

Like I've said before, I'll miss their loafs and baps. Booths bakery counter is the closest thing to Oddies round here when it comes to breadstuffs.

I used to love Oddies steak pies, but I found the quality suffered over the years - to the extent where you got more gloop than meat.

By the way, I wonder why the Dean brothers backed away from a takeover?

[dougcollins]

Struggling to find any bakers in Burnley and all we want is a dozen plain tea cakes ( baps) the bland stuff at supermarkets is horrendous ,but Oddie’s charging 60p each and it’s no wonder they’re closing.

Co-op bread is generally better than most supermarket stuff.

Not as good as a proper bakers though.

[ClaretTony]

I went past both Oddie’s shops in town this afternoon and so sad to see them closed.

However, there is news. I believe some of their shops, including those in the town centre, could be reopening having been purchased by Manchester bakery Martin’s.

[mdd2]

Another of my childhood memories of life at home
The one company that I really missed and wonder when they folded was Cece’s ice cream
Never tasted ice cream like it in the 50’s

[Eloise Laws]

I heard yesterday that Martin’s had pulled out - (very sad if this is the case) but further talks are happening with someone else.
It must be difficult for the staff, who I believe have not yet been served their notice.

[ClaretTony]

I heard yesterday that Martin’s had pulled out - (very sad if this is the case) but further talks are happening with someone else.
It must be difficult for the staff, who I believe have not yet been served their notice.

That’s probably more up to date than my info which is around a week old.

[sanderson370]

Birtwistles in padiham, far superior than oddies and far better value.

Bob mckenna worked at oddies as a young baker and his son and the family are keeping good quality traditions going long may it continue.