By Kirra Livingstone
IT’S the end of one era and the start of a new one with CJ’s Pastries set to finalise a deal to buy Landsborough’s iconic Buck’s Bakery.
After 26 years, the bakery, which regularly has lines out the door with people wanting one of their famous pies and pastries, is changing hands with the owners looking to head into a well-earned retirement.
CJ’s owner, Darrin Wells, said the opportunity to purchase the much-loved bakery, which sits opposite the railway station, was a great opportunity.
He said while operations would stay the same for now the longer term goal would be to bring Buck’s branding into the CJ’s fold.
CJ’s also has a retail store on Cribb Street, with Mr Wells saying while no decisions had been finalised, “we won’t be running both sites in the future”.
“Buck’s will become one of our CJ’s Bakeries,” he said.
“The name will probably be changed in time, but not immediately.
“We certainly are having conversations with the Buck’s team, hoping that a great deal of them would like to come on board with us, knowing that they have been doing a very good job.”
With the owners of Buck’s Bakery understood to be looking to retire, the sale presented a good opportunity for CJ’s to stake a larger claim in Landsborough.
“Obviously there is a similar offer in what CJ’s Pastries offers and what Buck’s offer, it’s not a completely dissimilar offer, in regards of pies, pastries, bread and coffees,” he said.
“We are in a close vicinity in a smaller town, so the synergies of us taking over a site as well known and as loved as Buck’s made some sense.”
The only other standalone bakery in Landsborough which is independently owned, is 22 Cribb Street French Patisserie, which opened on February 15 this year.
kirra@gcnews.com.au