West Cornwall Pasty Company facts for kids
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West Cornwall Pasty Company, Albion Place, Leeds
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Genre | Fast-food |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Ken Cocking & sons, sisters Victoria and Sarah Barber |
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Area served
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United Kingdom |
| Owner | Samworth Brothers |
West Cornwall Pasty Company is a fast food chain in the United Kingdom. They are famous for making and selling delicious pasties. A pasty is a tasty pastry filled with meat and vegetables. The company started in 1998. Since 2017, it has been owned by Samworth Brothers.
Contents
History of the Pasty Company
Starting the Business
The West Cornwall Pasty Company began in 1998. It was started by Ken Cocking and his sons, Arron and Gavin. Mark Christophers also helped to create the company. Their very first shop opened in Chippenham, Wiltshire. Family and friends helped pay for the company to start.
Growing and Selling the Company
After nine years, in October 2007, the Cocking family sold the company. It was bought by the people who managed it. The sale was for about £40 million. At that time, the company had 55 shops. About 400 people worked there.
By July 2013, the company had grown even more. It had around 450 staff members. They worked in 80 different locations. Eighteen of these locations were in London.
What is a Pasty?
A pasty was originally a meal for tin miners in Cornwall. It was easy to carry underground. It had meat and potatoes baked inside a pastry case. This made it a perfect, portable meal for hard-working miners.
Challenges and New Owners
In April 2014, the company faced a big challenge. Its owners, a company called Gresham, put it into "administration." This means they needed help managing their money. They said this happened because the government decided to add a sales tax, called VAT, to pasties.
Later, the company was sold to a different investment fund called Endless. A former footballer, Danny Mills, was one of the people who supported this purchase. The new owners worked to make the company more successful. They added more items to their menu. They also focused on opening shops in busy places. These included railway stations and sports venues. They also sold more of their own coffee brands. This helped each customer spend more money.
Becoming Part of Samworth Brothers
In 2017, Endless sold the business again. It was bought by Samworth Brothers. This company already owned the popular Ginsters pasty brand. At that time, West Cornwall Pasty Company had 33 shops. It also had 19 franchise locations at motorway service stations. The company still says that its pasties are made in west Cornwall.
Closing Shops During the Pandemic
In March 2020, all the company's shops closed. This was a temporary step because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Later that year, Samworth Brothers decided to close the shops permanently. They said the shops were no longer making enough money.
However, the West Cornwall Pasty Company brand still exists. Their pasties are sold in other stores. You can find them at places like motorway service stations and railway stations.
