Bakery co-owned by Romesh Ranganathan Collapses after 89 Years

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan has expressed his devastation after the bakery chain he part-owned shut down, bringing an end to the company’s 89-year history.

Coughlans Bakery, which operated across south London, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, announced it had ceased trading on June 30, 2026.

Romesh became a co-owner of the family-run business in 2024.

At the time, he described the venture as “the partnership of the century”.

Managing director Sean Coughlan, posted an emotional video explaining the decision.

He said rising business costs had made the business unsustainable. He cited increases in business rates, higher employer national insurance contributions and rising fuel costs.

According to Mr Coughlan, changes introduced in April 2025 significantly increased financial pressure on the business.

In the video posted to Facebook, he said the government’s decision to increase employer national insurance contributions, combined with existing business rates, had “absolutely smashed local business”.

Mr Coughlan added that higher taxes and increased fuel costs, following the conflict in the Middle East, had added around £20,000 a week to the company’s operating expenses.

Romesh Ranganathan reposted the video and captioned it:

“Gutted isn’t the word.”

Mr Coughlan praised the comedian’s commitment to the business and described the impact of the closure on everyone involved.

He continued: “Romesh has been amazing, I want to thank him so much. I feel like we’ve absolutely let him down.

“Everything he’s done, it’s been from the heart.

“He’s devastated. None of us saw this coming. We were looking forward to working together. We had so much fun.

“There’s not a day working with Rom we haven’t had a great time, and he’s really included himself into our family.”

Mr Coughlan added that the recent heatwaves, which saw temperatures of 35°C across parts of South East England, were the “nail in the coffin” for the bakery.

He added:

“These two heatwaves where no-one really seems to come out.”

“We literally take about 50% of what we would normally take in a normal week, with our outgoing still exactly the same, which is absolutely heartbreaking.”

The company entered voluntary liquidation to ensure it could still pay suppliers and employees.

Coughlans Bakery had operated for nearly nine decades and built a strong presence across southern England.

Its closure highlights the mounting financial pressures facing many independent and family-run businesses across the UK.