Hope Bakery plant closing, leaving 250+ workers without jobs

HOPE, Ark. (KSLA) - Hope Bakery is closing its Hope plant around July 25, leaving more than 250 employees without jobs, the company notified workers in a letter this past weekend.

The closure comes two years after the company announced a $37 million expansion that was expected to bring more than 200 jobs to Hempstead County.

Company cites failed financing efforts

In the letter, the company said the decision was not made lightly.

“Over the past several months, we have exhausted every reasonable opportunity to continue operations, including pursuing financing and exploring other business alternatives that would have allowed us to remain open,” the letter read in part. “Despite those extensive efforts, we were ultimately unable to secure the financing and resources necessary to continue operating this facility.”

County leaders respond

Anna Lee Powell, president of the Hempstead County Economic Development Corporation, said county leaders learned of the closure from employees at the plant—not from the company directly.

“We are all at a loss for words; it was a shock to our local state agencies,” Powell said.

Powell said the county’s immediate focus is on the affected workers. A job fair is scheduled for July 28 at Hempstead Hall.

“We are working with regional employers to put together a job fair, an opportunity fair for those displaced workers,” Powell said.

Powell said county leaders also plan to pursue other business opportunities for the facility.

“Our position is to hopefully be able to work with companies that have needs in food processing that would be able to fill this facility long-term and recreate jobs for our community,” Powell said.

Hope Baking Company is a division of East Baking Company.