After 14 years, Wodonga baker shuts Thurgoona as staffing crisis hits
Dean West closes Thurgoona Bakery after running it since 2012, unable to find bakers willing to train and work.
Dean West sold his house and remade his life to open two Baker's Delights in the late 1990s. Dean West took over Thurgoona Bakery in 2012.
But on October 24, Dean West locked the doors for good. The biggest challenge, he said, was finding bakers and keeping them.
After COVID, everything changed. He couldn't build a local team willing to learn the trade.
Rising wages, superannuation costs and insurance premiums made hiring skilled migrants unsustainable too. Bread prices would have to hit $8 a loaf for the maths to work.
He watched other Border retailers fade as well. "Small businesses are tumbling left, right and centre," he said.
But he also saw customers switching back to cash just to help local shops avoid card fees.
- 14 years
- Years running bakery
- 2012
- Took over bakery
- October 24, 2026
- Closure date
- $8 per loaf
- Break-even bread price
Why it mattersShows how rural businesses are collapsing under labour and cost pressures that urban chains can absorb.
AustraliaRegional employment and small business viability tightening across the Border.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 h ago
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