ATTENTION!
UK Bakers Urge Convenience Stores and Market Traders to Stop Misuse of Bakery Delivery Equipment
Bakers Basco is stepping up efforts to tackle the ongoing misuse and illegal sale of its bread baskets and dollies, essential equipment designed solely for transporting bread safely and sustainably from bakeries to retailers. Despite being clearly marked, these items are increasingly found in convenience stores, market stalls and online marketplaces, disrupting the supply chain and undermining sustainability efforts.
Since 2006, Bakers Basco has managed a nationwide pool of over five million baskets and dollies on behalf of the UK’s biggest bakeries. Misuse of this equipment is not always intentional but it has a significant impact: industry losses average 60% and can reach 100% in some areas. Baskets diverted for display, storage or resale reduce availability for bakeries, increase costs and often end up in landfill instead of being reused.
To combat the issue, Bakers Basco has invested in GPS tracking and a dedicated investigations team to recover missing equipment. The company is appealing directly to market traders, convenience stores and social media platforms to help protect the supply chain by returning misplaced items.
Anyone who comes across Bakers Basco equipment can arrange free collection by calling 08000 327323 or emailing enquiries@bakersbasco.co.uk
OUR MEMBERS
Celebrating 20 years of Bakers Basco
When Bakers Basco was created in 2006, the goal was straightforward: to protect the shared equipment that keeps the UK’s bakery supply chain moving. Two decades on, I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come and of the role Bakers Basco now plays in supporting bakers, retailers and consumers across the country.
Over the last 20 years, the way food is produced, transported and sold has changed beyond recognition. What hasn’t changed is the importance of having reliable, reusable equipment to get fresh bread from bakeries to shelves every single day. Our baskets and dollies may be simple items, but they are absolutely essential to the nation’s food infrastructure.
From the very beginning, we recognised that protecting this equipment required more than just replacing what went missing. It required collaboration, innovation and persistence. That is why we invested early in tracking technology, recovery operations and national awareness campaigns. It’s why we built specialist investigations teams and worked closely with partners across logistics, retail, recycling and law enforcement.
Those efforts have delivered real, measurable results. Since 2013 we have reduced basket attrition by 40% and dolly attrition by 58%. We’ve seen equipment recoveries rise year on year, and we’ve helped keep millions of pieces of reusable plastic in circulation rather than being lost, stolen or sent to landfill. None of that happens by accident – it happens because people across the industry have worked together to make it happen.
I’d like to thank our five founding members – Allied Bakeries, Fine Lady Bakeries, Frank Roberts & Sons, Hovis and Warburtons – for their continued commitment to the scheme, and to everyone across the supply chain who supports our mission. Delivery drivers, retailers, market traders, councils, recyclers and the public all have a part to play, and many have become powerful allies in protecting this vital equipment.
As we look to the future, our focus remains the same: to keep improving, to keep innovating and to keep protecting the assets that help feed the nation. The challenges may evolve, but our commitment will not.
Thank you for your support over the past 20 years. Here’s to the next chapter.
Let’s keep things moving – return the baskets, keep the bread flowing.
Free collection: 0800 032 7323
— Paul Empson, General Manager, Bakers Basco
