Freihofer’s Bakery Outlet in Fairfield closes permanently (2024)

FAIRFIELD — The Freihofer’s Bakery Outlet, open for many years on Skowhegan Road, has closed permanently and apparently with little notification.

The outlet at 230D Skowhegan Road, also known as U.S. Route 201, sold bread, muffins, bagels, cakes, pizza shells, pastries and other items at a fraction of the prices charged at most grocery stores and convenience stores. It carried brand names, including Sara Lee, Arnold, Lender’s, Entenmann’s, Boboli and Thomas’.

It was one of many outlet stores that Bimbo Bakeries USA has closed recently.

Contacted on Monday morning, a woman in the company’s consumer relations department said that after careful analysis and consideration, the company decided to permanently close several outlet stores and redistribute products to other locations.

“As our company processes increase in efficiency, we have less items for our thrift stores to carry,” she said. “Moving forward, we will focus on donating any limited extra product to local food bank partners. We’re thankful for our dedicated shoppers and encourage them to use our product locator to find their favorite baked goods at other nearby locations.”

She provided a website link — bimbobakeriesusa.com/product-locator — for customers to find stores within a 20-mile radius that carry items they normally would purchase at the outlets.

A check of the website shows the locations include Hannaford, Walmart and Shaw’s stores in Waterville, Skowhegan and Augusta; Shop ‘n’ Save in Pittsfield; and Sam’s Club in Augusta.

A man who answered the telephone Monday morning at the former Freihofer’s outlet in Fairfield said the store closed about two weeks ago, while he was on vacation, but the warehouse there remains open. He referred further questions to the store’s manager, Scott Bailey, who did not return a call placed Monday to his cellphone.

Bruce Bottiglierie of the Winslow Community Food Cupboard said Monday his organization expects to pick up items from the company and share them with other food banks in Somerset and Kennebec counties.

Fairfield Town Manager Michelle Flewelling said Monday she learned last week that the Freihofer’s Bakery Outlet had closed permanently. She said she received the news while attending an economic development meeting.

“I had no idea,” Flewelling said. “They didn’t reach out to us at all prior to (the outlet’s closure). It’s unfortunate that those folks did lose their jobs.”

Kimberly Lindlof, president and chief executive officer of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, based in Waterville, said Monday it is always disappointing to see long-standing businesses close permanently, especially when they have not reached out for assistance.

“However, this does not diminish my belief that the greater Waterville area is a great place to do business,” Lindlof said, “and is positioned to welcome new expansions, entrepreneurial startups and relocations.”

Bimbo Bakeries USA is part of Grupo Bimbo, which bills itself as the largest bakery company in the in the world, with operations in 34 countries. Its website says Grupo Bimbo began in 1945 in Mexico City, and the name Bimbo is a combination of “Bingo,” which was a popular song at that time in America, and “Bambi,” a popular movie of the time.

Grupo Bimbo is traded on the Mexico Stock Exchange and each year donates about 20 million pounds of food to Feeding America, according to its website.

The Country Kitchen Bakery Outlet at the corner of Kennedy Memorial Drive and Airport Road in Waterville is not part of Bimbo Bakeries USA and remains open. The store was busy Monday.

Employees at the Country Kitchen Bakery Outlet, who said they were not authorized to speak for the outlet owner, LePage Bakeries, referred questions to the corporate office in Lewiston. A message left at that office Monday afternoon went unreturned, but it might have been closed for the Patriot’s Day holiday.

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