THE owner of an independent bakery is confident she will come out on top as she goes head to head with the big name chains dominating Southend High Street. 

Gemma and Will Jones have confirmed Wilma’s Bakery will open in the former High Street Wenzel’s on October 12 and are looking forward to competing with the likes of Greggs and Costa. 

The couple already own bakeries in Rayleigh High Street and Leigh Broadway and have almost completed their renovation as they prepare to open in the city centre. 

Alongside the bakery, Wilma’s is also moving its kitchen to the High Street unit promising to provide the freshest cakes, baked goods and paninis alongside top tier coffee. 

Hard at work - The inside of the new Wilmas Hard at work - The inside of the new Wilmas (Image: Gemma Jones)

Having spent a lot of time on the High Street recently while working on the new bakery, Gemma is confident they will prove a success in a sea of chains. 

She said: “There are so many chains on the High Street and you can get the same product everywhere, that is the difference with small businesses. 

“It is a lot easier to take care of the quality of our products – when things get really big, staff overbake things, the owners are not there. With rents, it is hard for us to get our foot into the market in places like this. Not many do what we will do on the High Street.

“We can bring a bit of quality as opposed to frozen products and mass production that begins from chains. People can taste the difference and people like nice things.

“Hopefully we can give them that product from our oven, make with love and care.”

Team - Ellie, Gemma and Will Team - Ellie, Gemma and Will (Image: Gemma Jones)


Gemma has been working non-stop since signing the deal to come to Southend High Street last month. 

Now, it is just about putting the finishing touches on the new bakery. 
Gemma said: “Our planned opening date is October 12, there were things we have no control over like the glass manufacturer, all our counters are made for us in Liverpool and the soonest date they can get here is on October 9.

“We have panelling on the walls, the counter is coming along nicely but there is much work to be done, we are waiting for the furniture and the tables and that is when it will all come together.

“We have really felt the excitement, we have heard lots of lovely things and we hear people talking about us and when we opened in Leigh seven years ago, people didn’t know us.

“Now we hear people through our window, saying they will come to us to get a ‘lovely cake’. It is crazy but people know more about us and who we are, that it is great. This will be somewhere to get good cake and we will be baking on the premises.”