A baking business with deep roots in the local community it serves, Bayne’s the Family Bakers celebrates 70 years in Scotland’s baking scene. To mark its anniversary, the bakery opened its 70th shop, in Perth. Since the beginning, Bayne’s has strived to be a modern business – not just an early adopter, but also an innovator. This is still true today.
“Love Bayne’s scotch pies!“; “Wish you would open a shop in Livingston”; “I was in a butcher’s [shop] in Edinburgh recently and the woman serving said that Bayne’s were the best. As a true Fifer, it brought a tear to my eye… I like a well-fired [roll]. The taste is superb!“; “I’ve also been a fan of Baynes for years and have the belly to prove it!” – Bayne’s the Family Bakers is a vibrant, wholesome member of its community, as its social media conversations can easily prove it. These are just some of the recent interactions the Scottish bakery and its customers savor together, online (once they’ve enjoyed the baked creations).
Founded by John Bayne in Lochore, Fife, Bayne’s reached a milestone this February, when it opened its 70th shop in Inveralmond Retail Park, Perth, which also marks the 70th anniversary of the family business. This new shop is the fourth located in Perth (so far) for the bakery, joining those on Dunkeld Road, South Street, and Rannoch Road.
A modern bakery
From a single bakery in Lochore, Fife, Bayne’s has flourished into a beloved Scottish institution, renowned for its quality baking and strong local connections. The traditional home bakery founded by John Bayne is now a leading player in the bakery food-to-go market. Today, the company operates 70 shops across Scotland. What’s notable, a third of the shops in Bayne’s network are under 10 years old: “A decade ago, we had 490 colleagues supporting 52 shops. Today, we’ve nearly doubled our workforce to 960, ensuring we continue to bring fresh, quality baking to communities across Scotland,” explains John Bayne, the company’s Joint Managing Director. Looking ahead, the bakery plans to continue expanding steadily, with two to three new shop openings per year over the next decade.
”What I observed in many bakeries from the 1960s to 2000, including high-profile and quality establishments, was that Bayne’s stood out as
one of the most modern bakeries in Scotland and likely the UK.”
Stanley Bayne, chairman, Bayne’s the Family Bakers
Bayne’s entered the Edinburgh market in 2012 and expanded into Glasgow in 2018. In 2021, the company launched its first drive-thru in Hillington. A few years ago, in 2023, Bayne’s completed a freezer extension at its bakery, which further enhanced its production capacity to meet growing demand.
The company has strived to stay attuned to its community and meet their preferences with interesting offerings, including convenient products, premium coffee and home delivery services. The second-generation owner, Stanley Bayne, noted: “What I observed in many bakeries from the 1960s to 2000, including high-profile and quality establishments, was that Bayne’s stood out as one of the most modern bakeries in Scotland and likely the UK.” And it aims to continue to innovate, with plans including investing in digital transformation and product innovation.
“At Bayne’s, our customers are at the heart of everything we do, for instance through our popular coffee card reward program, which offers a free coffee for every eight purchased,” shares John Bayne.
All Bayne’s products are still crafted in Fife, at its central bakery in Lochore. This facility has evolved over the years, combining traditional baking methods with modern technology to support a growing network of shops. Freshly baked goods are prepared, packed, and distributed each morning.
Bayne’s specialties are available for home delivery via apps such as Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo, offering a wide selection of products, from breakfast rolls to sweet treats. Online orders can also be placed directly on the bakery’s website, for click-and-collect in shop.
Modern and fun: meet Baynesy
The bakery embraces modern trends in all aspects of the work they love, from creating new products and adopting trends and innovations, to how they relate to their customers. Baynesy has entered the scene on the 70th anniversary as proof of that, the bakery’s new animated mascot. It was created together with Lewis and Tayburn, one of Scotland’s leading creative agencies, and personifies a fun and friendly family baker whose mission is to bring joy.
Baynesy has large shoes to fill and the fit is perfect: as a representative of the joy of great-tasting Scottish specialties, he embodies the warmth and heritage of Bayne’s bakery and brings a contemporary and playful twist to the anniversary achievement.
A lot of care went into creating the character, to craft the version that best engages with consumers in the digital space and unmistakenly captures the spirit of Bayne’s. Ricky Stevens, Creative Director at Tayburn said of this project: “We wanted to ensure that Baynesy not only reflected the rich heritage of Bayne’s but also had a fresh, digital-first personality that could evolve with the brand. We understand that brand characters create warm emotive connections with the audience which increases brand recall, so this was a big part of our thinking behind Baynesy.
Using advanced animation techniques, the teams envisioned Baynesy as much more than just a static figure – he’s a lively and interactive presence designed to evolve with Bayne’s brand identity. Whether through playful motion graphics on social media or interactive online integrations, Baynesy’s digital-first approach makes him a standout addition to the bakery’s marketing strategy.
The bakery’s long-term goal is clear: to continue growing responsibly while preserving the family values and product excellence that define Bayne’s.
