The popular owners of a town centre bakery that sees hundreds of customers come through its doors each day are set to sell their business.

Married couple Karen and Michael Rose have put Mascot Bakery in William Street, Herne Bay, on the market, having run it for the past 24 years.

Over the intervening years the pair have seen the level of competition rise following the launch of Aldi and Morrisons supermarkets and Tesco Extras nearby.

But Mrs Rose believes the shopping giants “aren’t going to replace small bakeries like us”.

“People’s shopping habits have changed since the pandemic, but we haven’t suffered greatly – business is doing well,” the 57-year-old explained.

“We have our regular customers – people just like coming into small bakeries.”

Mr Rose, 60, had been working as a bread-maker for 18 years, with experience at Dunns in the High Street and Beach Street’s Safeway before snapping up Mascot Bakery with his wife.

The business is thought to have been trading from its William Street base since the 1950s.

“I think it had been on the market for two years before we took it on,” Mrs Rose recalled.

“We thought it was the right time to do it for ourselves, rather than my husband working for someone else.”

“We get hundreds of customers through the doors each day; we still get a lot coming in through the door.

“Supermarkets aren’t going to replace small bakeries like us.”

“The bakery’s been here for so many years, we don’t want to see it just go..."

Advertising material for the family-run bakery says it turns over almost £120,000 a year.

The estate agency, Intelligent Business Partners, says a “new owner could look to extend its opening hours”, which currently run from 7.30am until 2.30pm.

Its leasehold – which was first put on the market last year – is up for grabs for £50,000, but the Roses stress they will only sell it to someone committed to keeping the business open.

“The bakery’s been here for so many years, we don’t want to see it just go,” Mrs Rose continued.

“Different people come in here and say they can remember coming in when they were children in the ‘50s.

“The reason we’re selling is because we’re getting on in years.”