Ashers Bakery

What Ashers Bakery does

Ashers Bakery Ltd is a privately held, fourth-generation family bakery founded in 1877 in Nairn, Scotland, and currently operated by Managing Directors Alister Asher, George Asher and Paul Thomson, with fifth-generation family member Robbie Asher working in production. The company runs 11-12 own-brand retail outlets and cafes across the Highlands, Speyside and Moray regions — including sites in Nairn, Inverness (Union Street and Bus Station), Forres, Elgin (High Street and High Street Precinct), Lossiemouth, Buckie, Grantown-on-Spey and Aviemore — selling fresh bread, Scotch pies, butteries, morning rolls, celebration cakes, hot drinks and other baked goods for eat-in and takeaway. A modern central bakery at Balmakeith Industrial Estate, Nairn (opened 2002, formally opened by Princess Anne) supplies these outlets, the wholesale channel, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop delivering whisky cakes, liqueur cakes, brownies and other gift products throughout UK mainland. A Friday home delivery service operates within 3 miles of seven locations, and the company has supplied products to Scotmid's North stores since 2013 and dispatched its first large export order of whisky cakes to China in 2012.

The underlying technology stack is modest and commercial-off-the-shelf: an e-commerce website built on the concrete5 CMS, Google Analytics for site analytics and Google AdSense for advertising, supplemented by a postcode-validation feature for home delivery eligibility and an interactive locations map indicating cafe facilities. Pricing is unit-based across a small product catalogue — Box of 24 Scotch Pies at £34.95, Box of 48 Butteries at £34.95 (62p per item), Whisky Cakes 3-Pack at £20.95, Brownie Box at £19.95 and the Whisky Lovers Dream gift selection at £17.95 — with free UK mainland postage on online orders, Tuesday-only despatch for butteries, 3-day notice for Scotch pies (store collection only), and trade pricing available on inquiry against a 1-case minimum.

The business model combines four revenue streams: (1) walk-in retail and cafe sales across the regional estate, (2) direct e-commerce sales to UK mainland consumers with free shipping on gift-oriented products, (3) a Friday local home delivery service, and (4) wholesale supply to trade customers via the Scotmid partnership and similar accounts. Customer segments are split between local Highlands/Speyside/Moray residents (primary), tourists and visitors to the region, online/national gift purchasers, and trade/wholesale buyers. The company has acquired Smillies the Baker (2007, adding three shops), launched artisan ice cream in 2021, and earned recognitions including Scottish Gift of the Year 2000, Scottish Baker of the Year 2014 and Best in Scotland 2019 for Morning Rolls.

Name

Ashers Bakery

Legal name

Ashers Bakery Ltd

Website

https://ashers.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1877

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ashers Bakery Ltd is a fourth-generation, family-owned Scottish bakery founded in 1877, operating 11-12 retail outlets and cafes across the Highlands, Speyside and Moray regions, a UK mainland e-commerce shop for whisky cakes and gift products, a local home delivery service, and a wholesale partnership with Scotmid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery

NAICS

Retail Bakeries (311811), Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Food Stores (5400), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dessert-First Bakeries (Cupcakes, Cookies, Brownies) (THAFAFAH), In-Store / Supermarket Bakeries (THAFAFAE), Bread & Pastry Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAC)

Keywords

• Artisan bakery products
• Freshly baked goods
• Scottish bakery retail
• Whisky cakes
• Scotch pies butteries

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: Direct retail sales through 11 company-owned shops and cafes across the Highlands, Speyside and Moray areas, serving walk-in customers for takeaway and eat-in bakery products including bread, pies, cakes, hot drinks.
2. Online E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales with home delivery throughout mainland UK. Products include whisky cakes, butteries, pies, and brownies with free postage and packaging to mainland UK.
3. Trade/Wholesale: Wholesale supply to trade customers including Scotmid stores. Minimum order of 1 case. Pricing available upon inquiry.
4. Home Delivery Service: Local home delivery service within 3 miles of their stores in Lossiemouth, Elgin, Nairn, Forres, Grantown, Aviemore and Inverness. Orders placed before 11am Thursday for Friday delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ashers Bakery manufactures and sells freshly baked traditional Scottish bakery products including bread, Scotch Pies, Butteries, cakes, single malt whisky cakes, liqueur cakes, brownies, morning rolls, and artisan ice cream. Products are sold through 11-12 company-owned retail stores and cafes in the Highlands, Speyside, and Moray, an online shop delivering throughout UK mainland, a local home delivery service, and wholesale supply to trade customers.

Product overview

Ashers Bakery is a family-owned bakery business founded in 1877, operating as a fourth-generation family company. The business operates 12 of its own shops and cafes across the Highlands, Speyside, and Moray areas, selling fresh bread, pies, cakes, and hot drinks. The online shop offers a focused product line centered around their signature whisky cakes and liqueur cakes (including Single Malt Whisky Cakes, Premier Liqueur Cakes, Brownie Boxes, Butteries, and Scotch Pies), sold nationally and internationally via online ordering with home delivery to UK postcodes. The company also supplies biscuits and cakes nationally and overseas, with first large export to China in 2012. Retail outlets include bakeries with sit-in cafes throughout the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ashers Box of Pies (24) Box of 24 Scotch Pies supplied freshly baked and chilled with a wheatflour pastry shell and beef filling. Suitable for freezing, requires 3 days notice and collection from Ashers stores. Targeted at consumers seeking traditional Scottish pies in bulk for events or home consumption.
• Ashers Box of Butteries (48) Box of 48 butteries (Aberdeen rolls or rowies), freshly wrapped in 4s, suitable for freezing. Despatched Tuesdays only with 24-hour delivery service. Targeted at consumers and gift purchasers seeking traditional Scottish butteries by mail.
• Single Malt Whisky Cakes - 3 Pack Moist fruit cakes laced with single malt whisky from Highland, Island, or Speyside regions. Pack of 3 includes any combination of three regional whisky cake varieties. Winner of Scottish Gift of the Year Award 2000. Price includes postage and packing to anywhere in the UK.
• Brownie Box Box of 6 brownies made in the Scottish Highlands using finest Belgian chocolate, posted in a postal box. Priced at £19.95 with postage and packing included to anywhere in the UK. Targeted at gift buyers and chocolate consumers.
• Gift Selection - Whisky Lovers Dream Curated gift set containing an Island Single Malt Whisky Cake, a Highland Single Malt Whisky Cake, and a 5cl bottle of Famous Grouse Scotch Whisky. Priced at £17.95. Targeted at gift purchasers looking for a themed whisky-lover's hamper item.
• Premier Liqueur Cakes - 3 Pack Moist chocolate cakes laced with alcohol, available in multiple flavour varieties including Irish Coffee, Chocolate & Grand Marnier, Chocolate & Marc De Champagne, Chocolate & Amaretto, and Chocolate & Orange Vodka. Sold as a 3-pack with flavour choice. Targeted at gift buyers and consumers seeking premium liqueur cakes.
• Celebration Cakes Sponge cakes with butter cream filling, available as decorated celebration cakes. Sold through Ashers retail outlets and cafes. Targeted at local customers celebrating occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries.
• Morning Rolls Award-winning morning rolls that won the Best in Scotland Award in 2019 from the Scottish Bakers Association. Sold fresh from Ashers retail outlets and cafes. Targeted at local walk-in customers seeking daily fresh baked goods.
• Artisan Ice Cream Artisan ice cream line launched in 2021 and available in 3 Ashers retail stores. Targeted at walk-in customers seeking premium locally-made ice cream.
• Local Home Delivery Service Local home delivery service for Ashers bakery products within a 3-mile radius of stores in Lossiemouth, Elgin, Nairn, Forres, Grantown, Aviemore, and Inverness, with Friday delivery for orders placed before 11am Thursday. A trial delivery to Cawdor and Ardersier is also available via phone order. Targeted at local customers unable to visit stores.
• Trade/Wholesale Supply Service Wholesale supply service for trade customers such as retailers, with minimum order of 1 case and bespoke trade pricing available upon email or phone inquiry to [email protected]. Includes existing supply partnership with Scotmid North stores. Targeted at retailers and trade buyers seeking quality Scottish bakery products for resale.

Quantifiable outcome

• Scottish Gift of the Year Award 2000 for Single Malt Whisky Cakes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ScotmidcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013Ashers entered into a partnership with Scotmid in 2013 to supply their North stores with Asher's bakery products. This wholesale supply arrangement allows Ashers products to reach customers through Scotmid's retail network.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves18 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Thorntons (Ferrero UK): UK chocolate and confectionery brand with retail shops and gifting products, now part of Ferrero. Comparable to Ashers' whisky cake gift packs in the premium gifting channel and online gifting business.
• Warburtons: UK's largest branded bakery business, family-owned since 1876, producing bread and bakery products for grocery and foodservice. Compares to Ashers on heritage and family ownership, though operates at vastly larger industrial scale.
• Greggs plc: UK's largest bakery chain with 2,000+ shops selling baked goods, sandwiches, and hot drinks. Ashers competes in the same broad category (bakery-cafes) but at a regional, premium, family-bakery scale rather than Greggs' mass-market value positioning.

Direct peers

• Dunn's Bakery: Long-established Scottish bakery (Edinburgh) producing craft breads, cakes, and patisserie for retail and hospitality. Comparable to Ashers in product mix, traditional craft positioning, and Scottish retail footprint.
• Buttercrumb Bakery: Independent Scottish bakery operating retail and wholesale supply of cakes, breads, and tray bakes. Comparable scale and direct overlap with Ashers' product categories and Scottish retail presence.
• McGhee's Bakery: Family-run Scottish bakery in Glasgow offering breads, cakes, and celebration products through multiple retail outlets. Comparable as a Scottish family bakery with cafe-style retail and product range overlap.
• Frank Roberts & Sons: Family-owned bakery established in 1887 in the North West of England, producing breads, cakes, and morning goods for retail and wholesale. Highly comparable to Ashers as a multi-generational family bakery operating its own shops plus B2B supply.
• Bayne's The Family Bakers: Family-owned Scottish bakery established in 1956 with multiple shops across central Scotland, producing breads, rolls, cakes, and celebration cakes. Closely comparable as a multi-generational Scottish family bakery with a regional chain of retail outlets.

Regional players

• Lovingly Artisan Bakery: Specialist artisan bakery based in Cumbria producing sourdough breads and craft baked goods for retail and wholesale across the North of England. Comparable craft-bakery model, though geographically focused in England rather than Scotland.

Others

• Brakes Group: Major UK foodservice distributor supplying bakery, pastry, and dessert products to caterers and retailers. Comparable to Ashers' trade/wholesale supply motion (e.g., supply to Scotmid) but at much larger B2B distribution scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/asherspies
• Facebookfacebook.com/AshersBakery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ashers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ashers Bakery