A PIMBLETTS bakery was officially opened today to signal the permanent return of a brand “synonymous with St Helens”.
The ribbon was cut at the Boundary Road shop to launch the venue after it had opened in an initial short-term trial as a pop-up bakery.
With a long-held desire of bringing the iconic brand back to the high street, owner Ryan Little launched the bakery in November to gauge the reaction from the public.
With customers coming in their droves to taste the iconic bakery's pies and pastries, Ryan said the response made it an “easy decision” to reopen Pimbletts permanently at the location, following an extensive refurbishment of the premises.
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Over the Christmas and new year period, the bakery was renovated with the layout inside transformed, to provide larger refrigerated displays as well as hot food displays and preparation areas.
Ryan said the new layout was designed to be more in line with the vision of the Pimbletts brand, and to have a greater “feel” of a bakery.
There are also photographs on the wall reflecting Pimblett’s history.
He added the new-look new store also provides “a more homely and fresh feel”.
On Saturday, January 27, mayor of St Helens Cllr Lynn Clark cut the ribbon to “officially” open the Boundary Road premises.
“It’s a pleasure to be here,” Cllr Clark said as she unveiled the shop.
“Pimbletts has always been synonymous with St Helens and I’m so pleased that it has been able to come back on to our high street.”
The iconic Pimbletts brand was taken over by Eccleston businessman Ryan in 2021 after the closure of the 87-year-old bakery in 2008, and the subsequent rebranding as Pimmies Pies under former director Arthur Bevan in 2008.
The bakery has continued to operate from a warehouse on Jackson Street, just outside the town centre, in recent years, although Ryan has previously expressed his desire to bring the iconic brand back to the high street.
He also secured the trademark to use the original Pimbletts name to revive the iconic brand.
After launching the pop-up shop in one of his former businesses, the CBD & Co unit on Boundary Road, an additional full-time staff member has been employed in the Jackson Street warehouse to ensure that the business can keep up with the demand of the new shop.
The shop’s menu, which features a range of pies, pasties and confectionary items, has received a good reception from customers, and has been stirring the memories of Pimbletts from years gone by, said Ryan, who also owns Little Estate Agents in the town.
He said customers had even been making “requests” such as “homity pies” and “iced vanilla buns”.
Ryan added he hopes the permanent bakery will continue to re-establish the brand and he hopes other Pimbletts premises can be opened in the future, including in the town centre.
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