National bakery chain could be leaving Northampton town centre high street after just three years
One of Northampton town centre's newest bakery chains appears to be preparing to leave its spot on the town’s high street.
The Wenzel's Bakery unit on Abington Street is being marketed to let by commercial agents through the assignment of the company's existing lease.
Property details show the retailer signed a 10-year lease in May 2023, shortly before opening the shop in June that year. However, the premises are now available for another occupier to take over the remainder of that lease.
The sales advert reads: “The property comprises a retail premises arranged over ground and first floors. The accommodation has been fitted out by the current occupier as a modern bakery and coffee shop, providing an opportunity for a variety of retail and food operators.
"Available to let by way of an assignment of the existing 10-year lease, dated May 2023, at a passing rent of £38,500 per annum. The lease has a rent review in May 2028 and a break option in May 2029.”
A lease assignment allows another operator to take over the existing lease, subject to the landlord's approval. Wenzel’s is still open for business at the time of writing (Wednesday, July 22).
If a new tenant is found, Wenzel's would be expected to vacate the premises, although the company has not publicly announced any closure plans.
The bakery chain, which expanded rapidly outside London in recent years, opened its Northampton branch in June 2023 as part of its wider Midlands growth.
The move comes as Wenzel's has been reshaping its business following a wider transformation programme.
According to trade publication British Baker, the family-owned chain recently reported a sharp improvement in profitability after focusing on operational efficiencies, investment in technology and product innovation, while also reviewing its store estate and rationalising underperforming locations. The company said its strategy had prioritised sustainable, profitable growth over simply increasing sales, with chairman Peter Wenzel describing the past two years as a period of "fundamental" transformation across the business.
It is not known whether the marketing of the Northampton store is connected to that wider review of the company's estate.
Chronicle & Echo has contacted Wenzel's for comment.
Elsewhere in the town, Turtle Bay's restaurant in Gold Street has recently been put up for rent.