Fuller’s Bakery Mark Twenty Years Of Trading

Fuller’s Bakery are celebrating 20 years of trading within the area. The independent bakery run by husband and wife George and Heather Fuller has eight stores employing 65 people.

Speaking to HU17.net Mr. Fuller said;

“We started our business in 1996  in Goole in East Yorkshire, and Woodhall is 1 of 8 shops. We took Woodhall and Grovehill on in 2006. During that time, we have had anywhere between 12 and 13 shops.”

As an independent business the Fuller’s produce all their own products, Mr. Fuller said;

“From our bakery in Goole, it services all the shops with bread and confectionary. In each of the shops has an oven they bake off as much as they possible can in the shop daily.  Everything you see on display is our product except things like crisps  and drinks.”

Having spent a life time in the industry, the couple travelled around before they finally made the plunge and started their own business.

Mr. Fuller said;

“I have been a baker since I was sixteen. When I left school did an apprenticeship, Heather was a modern language’s teacher. We ended up in Richmond North Yorkshire, then had a spell in the Channel Islands and from there went to West Sussex and in 1996, we started our own bakery.”

Both are still involved with the business. While Mr. Fuller has taken a less hands-on approach, Mr. Fuller continues to develop the new products.

When asked to sum up their experiences of their 20 years in retail Mr. Fuller said;

“Hard work, enjoyable but certainly it has had its up and downs. I would say of late the high street has changed dramatically so everybody including us has to find a way to reinvent themselves.

“You have to keep a pace of rapid change. While people say the high street is recovering the high street is having a tough time.”

“A traditional baker’s shop is old fashioned. We have to look at ways and means of modernising it. This shop has a few tables in.”

“It is about trying to make our shops more appealing especially to younger people. That is the difficulty, getting younger people to shop traditionally, but we are getting there.”

“Woodhall classic case, excellent staff, it’s that in its self that is working, people buying into people.”