What a four-day week did to one bakery's books

Two years ago the owners of a busy neighbourhood bakery were exhausted. They had four staff, a six-day week and a queue out of the door on Saturdays. They also had trouble keeping bakers, who could earn similar money in supermarkets with easier hours.

So they tried something drastic: open Wednesday to Saturday only, keep everyone’s pay the same, and see what happened.

What changed

• Sales fell by about 12%, less than the one third they had feared.

• Waste fell sharply, because demand on the remaining days was steadier.

• Energy bills dropped by nearly a quarter with the ovens off for three days.

• Nobody left in twelve months, compared with three leavers the year before.

We sold less bread and made more money. I still check the spreadsheet twice.

The numbers at the end of the year

Profit rose slightly, mostly because of lower waste and energy costs. Customers adjusted quickly: many now buy extra loaves on Saturday for the freezer. The owners say the biggest change is not in the spreadsheet at all. They now have two days a week off together.

Would it work elsewhere?

Not everywhere. It helps that the bakery has loyal regulars and no close competitor. But it is a useful reminder that opening more hours does not always mean earning more money.

What customers noticed

The owners worried that regulars would feel let down. Instead, many said they preferred it. With fewer opening days, the shelves were fuller when they visited, and the staff were noticeably more relaxed and chatty.

The bakery also used one of the closed days to run bread classes, which now sell out every month and bring in extra income. The other two closed days are genuinely closed.

Would they go back to six days? “Only if someone else is doing the baking,” one of the owners said. For now, the ovens cool down every Saturday evening and stay cold until Wednesday morning.