The departing boss of Marks and Spencer was given a stirring send off at a North Wales bakery by a choir singing Bread of Heaven.<\/p>\n
The visit by chief executive Steve Rowe to the Jones Village Bakery\u2019s headquarters on Wrexham Industrial Estate was his last official call before stepping down from the helm of Britain favourite retailer.<\/p>\n
It was also a touching occasion for two members of the 50-strong Rhos Male Voice Choir, firefighters Paul Scott and Tim Williams.<\/p>\n
On August 19, 2019,\u00a0they were part of the crew from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service who were called to tackle a devastating blaze that destroyed the family firm\u2019s flagship bakery.<\/p>\n
Fast forward nearly three years and the choir was performing in the lobby of the replacement bakery which at 140,000 sq ft is four times the size of the original.<\/p>\n
The Jones Village Bakery have invested \u00a316 million in installing a state-of-the-art production line to make a new range of sourdough bread for M&S in a move that will ultimately create100 new jobs.<\/p>\n
As Steve Rowe arrived through the door, the choir burst into a rousing rendition of Guide me, O Thou Great Redeemer, with the famous Bread of Heaven chorus and set to the anthemic hymn tune, Cwm Rhondda.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThat\u2019s probably the finest welcome I\u2019ve had in a factory ever in my 40 years of retail.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never actually seen a male voice Welsh choir live before and that tone of music, the sound, the power of the sound was fantastic.<\/p>\n
\u201cBread of Heaven was absolutely appropriate for what I believe is one of the finest bakeries in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason I think this bakery is so special is that it has all of the values that I believe Marks and Spencer have.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo come back to this factory after what was a terrible fire back in 2019, to see the level of investment that\u2019s been put in to create a world class facility with fantastic products is a great way to finish my time with M&S.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re growing our food business substantially and we want the Village Bakery to be a major part of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want the most sophisticated facilities because they produce the best products and this has a new sourdough plant here. It will be the finest in the market.\u201d<\/p>\n
The occasion was in stark contrast to the previous visit to the Jones Village Bakery by Paul Scott and Tim Williams when fire ripped through the old bakery.<\/p>\n
According to the firm, the most important thing was that everybody evacuated the building unhurt which meant they were able to turn their attention immediately to a recovery plan.<\/p>\n
The result is the new complex which also includes a new Baking Academy and Innovation Centre \u2013 both twice the size of the previous ones \u2013 as well as a new office complex.<\/p>\n
Paul, the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service\u2019s area manager, was the incident commander on the day of the blaze.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIt was an absolutely devastating fire which was through the roof upon arrival.<\/p>\n
\u201cI seem to recall we had about 10 fire fighting appliances, three arial appliances and other specialist vehicles, which is a considerable deployment for a fire service our size.<\/p>\n
\u201cNearly three years on and it\u2019s great to be at the new site. It\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve been here and it\u2019s fantastic to see what they\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve literally risen from the ashes and have shown great resilience to bounce back. It\u2019s nice to be here today on the other side and celebrating their success.\u201d<\/p>\n
The incident is also seared in the memory of colleague Tim Wiliams who has since retired and become a retained firefighter.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIt was one of the biggest jobs I had just before I retired. Coming back here today brings back memories for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was heart-breaking for the Village Bakery on the day and it\u2019s awful when this kind of thing happens but they\u2019ve pulled out all the stops with a flagship factory like this. This new place is gorgeous and I\u2019m pleased to have the opportunity to sing here today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robin Jones, the bakery\u2019s managing director, said: \u201cThe choir was brilliant and Steve was clearly moved by it as well so I think it struck the right chord.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are hugely grateful and honoured that Steve chose the Jones Village Bakery as his final visit as the CEO of Marks and Spencer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love working for M&S and it was nice for him to see the finished sourdough line making the great products that he asked for 18 months ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all started with a virtual meeting during lockdown back in October 2020 when he challenged group of bakery suppliers and he said he wanted \u2018tomatoes that taste like tomatoes, and bread that tastes like bread\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat that gave us the inspiration to work with M&S to develop the range of sourdoughs that we have done.\u00a0 Appropriately the production line was up and running just in time for this big day.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday marks the end of one era but the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Jones Village Bakery and we\u2019re looking forward to what the future holds working with M&S, so it\u2019s onwards and upwards really.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so fitting that it was the Rhos Male Voice Choir with those two fire fighters, Paul and Tim, who came to sing a fond farewell to Steve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve gone full circle. The last time they were with us it was in our darkest day and I think today was one of our finest hours. This story has a happy ending.\u201d<\/p>\n