Southend High Street bakery to open at former Wenzel’s

Wilma’s Bakery, run by husband and wife duo Gemma and William, currently operates from Leigh Broadway and Rayleigh High Street but is now opening a third site thanks to its growing success. 

Wenzel’s shut in the High Street, opposite Halifax, in January and has remained empty ever since but now Gemma and William are hoping to open their bakery by the end of September. Handover - Gemma and Will get the keys to the unit (Image: Gemma Jones)

As part of the move, the couple will also relocate their kitchen from Stock Road, in Southend, to their new High Street base. 

They are hoping this will be the start of many more years of success after receiving rave reviews in both Rayleigh and Leigh. 

Gemma said: “I am excited for sure, it is really nerve wracking, we are a small business with a big heart and we are only as strong as our weakest team member.

“While we are quick to adapt, we must make sure we can all adapt and we will take established team members and new team members there, it is a lot of hard work.

“We employ local team members, from Southend, Rayleigh, Westcliff and Leigh, we hope we can really do something for the independent shops and it would be lovely for Southend.”

Independent - Willma's pride themselves on being an independent bakery (Image: Gemma Jones)

The business is rated 4.5 out of five on Tripadvisor with customers praising it for an “amazing selection of drinks and cakes to choose from”, “excellent service”, “top notch presentation” and reasonable prices. 

Gemma added: “We got the keys two weeks ago; any fans will know Willma’s have a Stock Road industrial kitchen and we are moving that into the shop as well.

Owners - Will and Gemma Jones (Image: Gemma Jones) “We have two shops and one kitchen, and we will have a shop and kitchen and office there, we are moving everything from Stock Road to the high street with a new shop front.

“It will have a lot of space as well, where Wenzel’s made their food that will be our kitchen and before Wenzel’s it was a Jessops, they had the same old unused rooms that were never repaired.

“We will restore them so we can get an office space which is where we will have one staff member to do the website and sales.”

Gemma hopes the kitchen will be moved by the end of this week or early next and then for the store to open by the end of September.