Limerston Capital, the private equity firm behind Village Bakery, has sold its controlling stake in the company to French bread maker Groupe Menissez. Limerston Capital had invested in the Wrexham-based bakery in 2021. During its ownership, Village Bakery opened a new 140,000 sq ft “super bakery” and nearly doubled its workforce to over 900 employees.

This sale marks Limerston’s third exit from its first fund, Limerston Capital Partners I. João Rosa, a founding partner at Limerston Capital, expressed satisfaction with the early exit, highlighting the significant investment and rapid growth achieved under their tenure. He credited the Village Bakery management team for their dedication to product quality and customer service, which helped double the company's sales.

Robin Jones, CEO and co-owner of Village Bakery, thanked Limerston Capital for their support and contributions to the company's growth. He expressed pride in the achievements over the past three years and optimism about the future with Groupe Menissez.

Groupe Menissez, based in Feignies, France, produces bake-at-home products sold in UK supermarkets like Sainsbury's and Costco. Despite recent price increases, Village Bakery reported a turnover of nearly £98 million for the year ending September 30, 2023, up from just over £69 million the previous year. However, the company still posted a pre-tax loss of just under £22 million, an increase from the previous year's £17.4 million loss.