The well loved Entenmann’s Bakery Outlet in Blackwood abruptly closed this week, with a handwritten sign on the front door stating “Permanently Closed”.
There was one other New Jersey location in Edison, and Google is indicating that location is now closed also.
The closing was so abrupt, during my visit yesterday I could see that significant amounts of Entenmann’s product was still on the shelves. It seems that employees simply shut of the lights and locked the doors behind them.
The location for the Blackwood Outlet was in the Cherrywood Plaza (where K-Mart was located), in the side strip-mall.
Interestingly there are actually two signs in the Blackwood Entenmann’s window… the first one announcing their Labor Day weekend hours, which likely means that a few days prior the employees thought they were coming back to the Blackwood store after the holiday.
But the second sign overrules that with “Permanently Closed”
I learned of this closing early yesterday on social media, but had a jammed up day and just couldn’t get around to writing the story.
So with me being a day late on covering this, social media has already been lighting up with people asking questions about why it closed.. I received about 8 messages directly at 42Freeway about it!.
And it seems that folks in the area truly appreciated the store and the value it provided, and are genuinely disappointed that the Entenmann’s Outlet is closed.
I did have time yesterday to call the Entenmann’s offices (owned by Bimbo Bakeries), as well as send an e-mail… but a day later I have not received a response from them.
Local news website South Jersey Observer put up a Facebook post yesterday about the closing, and then later updated it to include a statement they found on the Bimbo Bakery (Entenmann’s parent) website regarding their outlets stores.
Bimbo Bakeries USA associates are currently working around the clock to stock retail grocery shelves, eliminating our ability to stock our outlet stores.
The majority of our outlet stores are closed at this time, please call the outlet store in your area to confirm if they are open before visiting.
Bimbo Bakeries, Parent Company of Entenmann’s
To be clear, Bimbo’s has been buying up name brand bakeries over the last several years, including at least a dozen names that are just common, well known household brands… and that statement on the website does not specifically call out Entenmann’s and likely could be referring to any of the brands.
I mention that because the website notice of “closed at this time” implies that the stores will eventually reopen.. But that likely is not the case with the Entenmann’s Outlet Stores.
it is also unclear if the Blackwood employees were reallocated to other roles within Entenmann’s/Bimbo bakeries.
Entenmann’s has been owned my Mexican bakery conglomerate Bimbo Bakeries, since 2002.
Bimbo has acquired many well known American household brands including; Thomas’ English Muffins, Sara Lee, Stroehmann Bread, Arnold Breads, Lender’s Bagels, Little Bites snack cakes, Ball Park buns & rolls, Maier’s bread, Beefsteak, Boboli and more.
Entenmann’s Outlet – Blackwood
Entenmann’s has had a facility in Blackwood since 1983, when they were originally located across from the Millbridge apartments (also on Blackwood-Clementon Road)
Back then it was called a Thrift Cake Bakery, and up until very recent years it operated as a larger facility where trucks would pick up Entenmann’s products in the morning to be delivered to local stores and groceries
While I don’t know the full business model, my understanding was that as products were getting closer to their expiration date (but still fresh), Entenmann’s would ship them to their own outlet retail stores to be sold at a strong discount, in an effort to sell the product quickly.
just a few years ago they chose to close that original larger location, and relocate the retail store component to the Cherrywood Shopping Center… In the side strip mall of the former Kmart anchored larger shopping center.
This new smaller store location was solely focused on selling Entenmann’s bakery products and had no distribution capacity.
Coincidentally I learned about this closing late Wednesday night, and the very next morning that original larger Entenmann’s property across from Millbridge… celebrated its grand opening as a brand new super Wawa convenience store.
Links and Locations
Entenmann’s Outlet Blackwood (Permanently Closed)
Cherrywood Plaza
1488 Blackwood-Clementon Rd
Blackwood NJ