The oldest kosher bakery in Manchester and the jobs if its 25 employees have been saved after the sale of the shop secured its future.
State Fayre, in Crumpsall, has been purchased by YF & SF Bakery Ltd, a new company established earlier in the month.
The company was set up by Yehuda Fagleman, and his wife, Shiri, after State Fayre Ltd, was wound up and placed into creditors’ voluntary liquidation earlier in August. All 25 employees at State Fayre Ltd are being transferred to the new business.
Yehuda Fagleman, who was also director of State Fayre Ltd, said: “We are in a strong position to take the business forward and give State Fayre a new lease of life, with lots of ideas to expand and re-energise, including new product lines and other ventures.
“We are excited to be able to continue serving the loyal individuals and businesses who make up our customer base.”
The roots of the bakery go back to 1905, and according to State Fayre’s social media, they are purveyors of the “best bagels in town”.
State Fayre Ltd acquired the business in 2017, with Fagleman and his co-director, Isaac Stefansky, taking over from Robert Rosenfeld, whose family came to Manchester from Poland and passed down the bakery – and its recipes – through multiple generations.
In 2021, the bakery chose to take on stricter supervision from the Machzikei Hadas, a Chasidic synagogue, alongside the Manchester Beth Din, to ensure that its products could be consumed by Manchester’s growing Orthodox community.
The business supplies its products to supermarkets, restaurants and kosher stores across Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Glasgow
Steven Wiseglass, director and founder of insolvency and corporate recovery firm Inquesta, who secured the sale of the bakery, said many of the financial difficulties of State Fayre Ltd had stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions introduced in March 2020.
He added: “After the restrictions were lifted, the company’s financial difficulties continued. Energy costs increased substantially, with monthly bills rising from £2,500 to almost £7,500.
“In addition, significant increases in the cost of food and other raw materials further eroded the company’s profit, along with increased payroll costs, resulting from higher statutory wage rates.”
Commenting on the sale, Wiseglass said: “We are pleased to have secured a sale of the trade and assets of the business to YF & SF Bakery Ltd, ensuring the bakery will continue to operate and serve a wide client base across the northwest and beyond.”
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