On October 27, 2025, following the closure of many traditional baking enterprises in mainland China, Shanghai Jing’an Bread House recently announced bankruptcy liquidation, with all its stores closing down. This iconic baking brand, carrying the memories of a generation of Shanghai residents, has officially exited the market. The baking industry in mainland China is undergoing a new round of reshuffling.
“This bakery’s taste has been with me since I was a child.” “I started lining up to buy bread from them in the 1980s.” “I loved their baguettes the most when I was young…” After the news of Jing’an Bread House’s closure spread, many Shanghai residents expressed regret through social media comments.
Established in the 1980s, Jing’an Bread House was known for its traditional craftsmanship and affordable flavors, embodying the “street corner taste” of countless Shanghai residents’ childhoods. However, amid the wave of economic downturn, the bakery faced multiple pressures such as rising rent, labor costs, and changing consumption patterns, leading to its ultimate closure.
Jing’an Bread House, a subsidiary of Jinjiang International Group’s Hong Kong-listed company Jinjiang Hotels Group, was established through a joint venture between Shanghai and Hong Kong in September 1985. It became the first Sino-foreign joint venture French pastry shop in Shanghai, a well-known vintage brand in Shanghai with a history of 40 years.
On October 21, the Shanghai Third Intermediate People’s Court announced that Shanghai Jinjiang Capital Co., Ltd. had applied for bankruptcy liquidation of Jing’an Bread House due to “failure to repay due debts and lack of clear solvency.” The court initiated legal proceedings on October, 2025.
The exit of Jing’an Bread House is not an isolated case. Over the past three years, many old and well-known baking brands in the Chinese baking industry have fallen into difficulties.
“Christine,” once known as the “leader of baking,” had thousands of stores at its peak but announced delisting and complete shutdown in December 2024.
Chongqing’s “Huashengyuan” applied for bankruptcy reorganization in 2020 due to debts exceeding 213 million yuan.
“Bread New Language” was reported to be closing multiple stores in various locations in Chengdu in July 2025.
In addition, “85°C” closed over 40 stores in mainland China this year, with a loss of around 46 million yuan in the first half of the year.
The downfall of these consecutively failing brands reveals the common challenges traditional baking enterprises face in the new era of consumption.
According to the “Research Report on the Status and Trends of the Chinese Baking Food Industry in 2024-2025,” the retail market size of baking food reached 611.07 billion yuan in 2024, but market concentration is increasing. The top ten chain brands occupy over 30% of the market share, while the closure rate of local small and medium-sized baking stores is rising year by year.
Food industry analyst Zhang Nan pointed out: “The problem with traditional baking brands lies not in the products but in their mindset. In the past, they relied on location and regular customers, but now they need to focus on social media marketing, online sales, and brand culture.” He believes that digital operations, supply chain integration, and product differentiation will become the core competitiveness of future baking enterprises.
The exit of these long-standing baking brands is not just the end of a brand but also a collective resonance of memories for generations of old Shanghai residents, marking a “farewell to the taste of childhood.”
(The article references reports from Sina, Tencent, Daily News, and other media outlets)