Closing West Chester bakery operations to move to Minnesota

After it was acquired in 2015, a West Chester Twp. supplier of cake decorations is now being closed in a move that could affect about 119 jobs, according to a notice of the pending layoffs received by the state on Feb. 1.

Even though at first fellow cake and bakery decorations supplier DecoPac Inc. said it had not expected to close or consolidate operations last year when it acquired Bakery Crafts of West Chester, customer feedback has led the company to change plans, according to a statement provided to this news outlet Tuesday.

Operations will be moved to DecoPac’s Anoka, Minn., facility, according to the company.

“This move brought together two strong companies with complementary product lines and markets, and provided additional scale, greater creativity, marketing and design and development skills to enhance product offerings and capabilities for customers and consumers,” said Dewey Wahlin, spokesman for DecoPac, in an emailed statement.

“Over that past several months, our focus has been on how we can make it easier for customers to do business with our two companies and further strengthen service. Most customers were requesting simplicity — being able to place one order and get product from both companies in a single shipment,” Wahlin said. “Given this important feedback, a decision was made to move all operations to DecoPac’s Anoka, Minnesota facility.”

As a result, Bakery Crafts at 9300 Allen Road will be wound down beginning with layoffs April 5 and throughout the rest of the year, according to the letter from the company posted on the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services website.

A variety of positions could be cut including marketing and development, customer service, accounting and more, according to the notice.

West Chester employees received separation packages and select individuals were offered the opportunity to move to Minnesota, Wahlin said.

“While jobs will be lost to this transition, it is important to note that in 2015 West Chester added more than 2,500 jobs and retained nearly 8,000 more as a result of company expansions in the community and relocations to West Chester,” said West Chester Community Development Director Mike Juengling in a statement. “West Chester has reached out to the company and to OhioMeansJobs in an effort to connect displaced workers with new opportunities.”

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