IN Brief:
- Baker & Baker has acquired Lazy Day Foods, which employs around 190 people in Harthill.
- The Scottish factory makes about 75 permanent and seasonal free-from product lines.
- The buyer plans to retain the factory, workforce and brand while widening distribution.
Baker & Baker has acquired Scottish free-from bakery manufacturer Lazy Day Foods, adding a dedicated production operation in Harthill, North Lanarkshire, to its UK network. The transaction extends the buyer beyond its existing gluten-free manufacturing capability into a wider portfolio of products formulated without several common allergens. The financial terms have not been disclosed.
Lazy Day Foods employs approximately 190 people at its Harthill site and produces around 75 permanent and seasonal lines. Its range includes cakes, biscuits and traybakes sold under its own brand and as private-label products. Major UK supermarket groups and foodservice customers are among its established outlets, giving the business a domestic distribution base that Baker & Baker intends to extend internationally.
Founded in 2006 by food scientists Dr Sally Beattie and Emer Bustard, Lazy Day Foods moved to a purpose-built Harthill factory in 2017. Production at the dedicated free-from bakery is organised around recipes without gluten, milk, eggs or nuts. Keeping these ingredients out of the manufacturing environment is a significant part of its operating model, alongside the separate controls needed for incoming materials, staff practices and finished goods.
The 26,500 sq ft Harthill plant holds BRCGS AA+ accreditation and manufactures cakes, biscuits and traybakes in different formats. Its established specifications and production systems give Baker & Baker immediate capacity in a specialist segment, with an existing workforce accustomed to managing allergen-sensitive recipes and customer requirements.
Baker & Baker intends to keep both the Lazy Day consumer brand and the Harthill operation, including its employees. The group plans to market the range through its existing UK and international customer relationships, allowing the Scottish factory to continue supplying current customers while pursuing additional distribution contracts.
The buyer already makes gluten-free bakery products at Ashington in Sussex, alongside a broader UK network producing conventional sweet bakery goods. Its existing sites include operations on the Wirral, in Daventry and in Bradford. With Harthill added, the group will have five UK manufacturing locations, including its first in Scotland, and a reported combined workforce of about 2,650.
Free-from formulations need to achieve familiar bakery textures while excluding ingredients that ordinarily provide structure, aeration, moisture retention or flavour. Replacing gluten, egg or dairy components changes the behaviour of mixes during deposition and baking, as well as the finished product’s shelf life and consistency. Recipes must therefore be developed alongside the process settings used to manufacture them reliably.
Allergen control continues from recipe development into production. Ingredient approval, storage segregation, validated cleaning procedures, changeover controls and accurate packaging information contribute to the intended product specification. Food Standards Agency guidance requires food businesses to manage allergens and prevent cross-contact; dedicated premises can support those controls but still depend on documented checks and staff procedures.
Baker & Baker brings bakery development capability and established retail, foodservice and wholesale relationships to the acquired operation. Lazy Day Foods contributes established free-from recipes, ingredient expertise and a factory already configured to make them. Commercial integration is expected to extend the distribution of those products while leaving the production site and consumer-facing brand in place.
Lazy Day Foods supplies both branded products and retailer-owned ranges, each subject to separate specifications, pack formats and product approvals. Extending its branded products into additional export markets will require packaging and documentation to be adapted to local rules, alongside continuing private-label production for existing customers.
The group supplies retailers, foodservice businesses, wholesalers and independent bakeries across more than 30 markets. Its European manufacturing network and existing customer relationships provide distribution channels through which the Lazy Day range could reach additional buyers, although individual markets will still require product and labelling compliance.
This is Baker & Baker’s second acquisition since becoming a standalone bakery products business in 2021. Its first was a pastéis de nata production facility in Peniche, Portugal, purchased in 2022. Both deals added specialist factories with established products to the group’s wider bakery portfolio.
Lazy Day Foods recorded turnover of £14.3 million for the year to 5 April 2026. The acquisition consideration was not disclosed. The Harthill site’s existing scale, workforce and customer contracts are the immediate operating assets being added to Baker & Baker’s network.
The transaction leaves the Harthill factory responsible for its established free-from lines, with Baker & Baker planning to widen the brand’s distribution. Maintaining the current employee base and the controls associated with allergen-sensitive production will be central to fulfilling existing contracts while additional markets are developed.
