A POPULAR bakery in north Essex is set to reopen after the business was sold to new owners.

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, said it was pleased to announce the former De’ath’s Bakery in Manningtree High Street is set to reopen under new ownership, following a successful sale of the business.

The family-run bakery was run by David and Tanya Smith for 37 years and closed in 2022 as the couple had decided to seek retirement.

David, who is a third-generation baker in the family, took over the bakery from Mr De’ath when he was just 22.

The bakery has been purchased by local business owners, who grew up in the area and were customers of De’ath’s for many years.

They hope to re-open the business as a bakery, or a butchers, and are keen on giving back to the local community.

Lewis Last, business agent at Christie & Co who handled the sale, said: “I am really pleased for David and Tanya who can now look forward to retirement after many successful years of running the bakery.

"It is also great to see the property sold to a local business owner who has plans to reopen the site and once again provide for the local residents and support the businesses along the High Street.”

Harwich and Manningtree Standard: Previous owner - David Smith, 59, and wife Tanya, 54 ran the Manningtree's De’aths BakeryPrevious owner - David Smith, 59, and wife Tanya, 54 ran the Manningtree's De’aths Bakery

Last year David told the Standard he and his wife love baking that it is an exhausting trade and they were looking forward to a much-deserved break.

“We kept the De’ath name because it is a north-east Essex name and had a really good reputation," he said.

“We kept a lot of his recipes and I incorporated recipes from my grandfather and my father and a few of my own.

“Me and Tanya met and fell for each other and she gave up everything and moved up to the bakery.

“She made a fantastic difference to it and has been the inspiration behind all the new cakes and everything that we do.”

He said that the business had to overcome many challenges, especially the post office's decision to move from High Street into the Co-op.

“That killed the High Street and all the traders there lost a third of their trade," he said.