Newcastle super-bakery Greggs is entering enemy territory for a second time as it tries to win over locals in Saltash, Cornwall, after its first attempt to win over locals failed four years ago.
Saying that feelings run high about Greggs in Cornwall is an understatement. A local critic memorably described the company as the “devil’s spawn” when it dared to set up shop in the county's only city, Truro, at the end of last year. But the Gosforth based company is soldering on and has announced it wants to open even more new stores in the land of the Cornish pasty - in a move that will put it head to head with traditional Cornish bakers.
According to Greggs boss, Roisin Currie, the company is on track to open 150 new shops nationwide this year and it is particularly interested in new sites in Cornwall and other areas of the South West of England.
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Greggs currently operates around 2,300 shops across the UK and the new shop in Saltash, known as The Gateway to Cornwall, is only its fourth shop in the county. But it will face fierce competition in Cornwall, where the Cornish pasty has been a staple for hundreds of years and enjoys protected status under Protected Food Names legislation. Since 2011, only a pasty made to a specific recipe in Cornwall earns the right to be called a Cornish pasty.
"The opening strategy is going to plan and the new location in Cornwall is a key part of that," Ms Currie said. "Obviously we are a brand that started from the North and the natural growth of the business from there means there are some parts of the country, such as in Cornwall and the South West, where we see more scope to open sites."
The opening in Saltash is Greggs' second attempt to win over Saltash after a franchise store failed after just nine months following a lack of trade. The new store joins outlets in St Austell, Launceston and Truro, and Ms Currie said the company had returned to Saltash because “our products have been so warmly received by our customers across the county”. The firm now has more than 50 staff in the area and Ms Currie said: “We’re thankful for the support we’ve had from our Cornish customers and look forward to building on this success.”
But although Greggs is bullish about introducing the delights of steak bakes, sausage rolls and cheese and onion bakes to Cornish punters, it's stopping short of stocking its beef and vegetable pasty in Cornwall. Pasties can only be called Cornish if they include just beef, potato, swede or turnip, onion and seasoning, and the Greggs beef and vegetable pasty contains the addition of carrots and peas, although the website does concede the additions are "controversial, we know."
Attempts to discuss the new addition to Cornwall's culinary landscape with artisan Cornish pasty bakers were met with a deafening silence and even Ginsters, the giant of the Cornish pasty world, politely declined to comment.
However, the folk of Truro were not so shy when Greggs landed in its town centre just last year, a few yards away from long-established pasty bakers, according to Cornwallive reporter Lee Trewhela.
The move into Truro was treated as an all-out "declaration of war" with one resident describing it as "the Devil's spawn" and another saying: "There is no way we would ever eat that rubbish when you have vast amounts of places selling the real thing, the iconic Cornish pasty."
Another said: "How dare they place Greggs in Cornwall. It’ll be a cold day in hell before you ever get me in one of them."
But despite that, the Cornish Pasty Association said it was up for the fight - and was confident it would win the battle.
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A spokesperson said: "The Cornish Pasty Association welcomes the news that Greggs is opening a store in Saltash, providing local people with jobs. Greggs does not make their products in Cornwall and therefore do not sell the highly prized, genuine PGI Cornish pasties that our members make. We believe it’s important that people have a range of products to choose from and are confident that the Cornish pasty’s future will not be jeopardised by the presence of Greggs in Saltash. "
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