Row costs firm serious dough

Basco equipment to transport its products without paying the company a fee to do so.

AJP – based at the Queens Mill Industrial Estate off Queens Mill Road in Lockwood – is understood to have over 300 stockists including Asda, Booths, Costcutter, Morrison’s, Nisa, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Following an initial hearing in September at Huddersfield County Court a trial was scheduled for early 2017 at which Bakers Basco would have applied for an injunction, a court ruling banning AJP from misappropriating and misusing Bakers Basco’s trays and trolleys.

However, AJP has agreed to enter into a Consent Order, a formal undertaking not to continue using equipment belonging to Bakers Basco. AJP also agreed to pay a combined sum of £7,000 to settle the litigation.

Steve Millward, general manager at Bakers Basco said: “Our baskets and trolleys are meant for transporting bread, and only bread, safely, cost-effectively and in an environmentally-friendly way and should not be used without our consent or for any other purpose.”

Bakers Basco has four million bread baskets and trolleys for the use of bakers. Currently, around 25 bakeries, ranging from small to very large, are licensed to use the equipment.

It introduced GPS technology last year to help in its fight against the theft and abuse of bread baskets which has significantly reduced losses and improved recovery rates by its special tactical team.

A J Pies and Pastries Limited did not want to comment.