A VEGAN bakery best known for its Empire biscuits has announced the closure of its West End and city centre shops in Glasgow.
Plant Blonde has revealed "with a heavy heart" it will close its coffee stores located on Hyndland Road in Partick and inside Lush on Buchanan Street.
They did not reveal why they are closing the shops or when they will be closed from, however their West End shop is listed as "temporarily closed" on Google.
In a post shared on Instagram, bosses Jennifer Walls and Marc Sorbie wrote: "To our incredible community - thank you for being part of our journey.
"Your support has been instrumental in shaping Plant Blonde and we're excited to continue growing in a way that truly aligns with our vision."
They revealed their new studio and bakery is almost complete and said they will continue to create "plant based clean cakes using the highest quality seasonal ingredients", including for weddings and events.
Plant Blonde opened their Hyndland Street store in 2022, and the Glasgow Times reported that the former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared their biscuit "the best Empire biscuit I've ever tasted" when she visited the shop.
They then opened their second unit inside the Lush flagship store on Buchanan Street in December 2023.
Previously speaking about how the business started during lockdown, Jennifer told the Glasgow Times: "I had just come home from Bali when the first lockdown happened.
"I was due to take a job at a local primary school but had to wait three months before starting because of restrictions.
"I’m not the kind of person who can sit around doing nothing so I needed to find something that would keep me busy.
"I’ve always been a big coffee person and noticed that wherever I went there were hardly any vegan options, or they would all be serving the same thing.
"I came home one day and just said to myself: ‘I’m going to make a vegan Empire biscuit, surely it can’t be that hard'."
Fans of the bakery wished the business good luck but said they will miss being able to pop in for a biscuit.
One person wrote: "Where can we find the empires?"
Another said: "Aww I’ll miss popping by for some Empires, but all the best to you both in your new era."
A third person added: "Best of luck and good fortune for your new journey."
