Relocating a Bakery: Ovens, Mixers and Cooling Racks

The new shop is ready, the signboard is up, and the deck oven is still sitting in the old shop with its door taped shut. A bakery has an awkward problem that a clothes shop does not: while the machines are on the road, nothing is being baked and nothing is being sold. The whole move is really about keeping that gap short.

This guide is for a small bakery or cake shop moving across Lagos, within Abuja or Ibadan, or to another city.

Plan the baking gap before you plan the truck

Decide which days you will not bake and tell your regular customers early. Orders for events, schools and shops that buy from you in bulk are the ones that hurt if they are missed, so settle those first.

A workable pattern for many small bakeries is to bake the last batch, sell out or deliver, clean down, and move the next morning. If you can, put the new shop's power, water and gas in order before the oven travels, so that you bake the day after the move and not a week after.

Prepare each machine

Do this the day before, not on the morning of the move.

1. Switch off and unplug everything. Let ovens cool fully, because a warm oven is a burn risk and the insulation is often fragile.
2. Empty and clean the mixer bowl, dough hooks and the proofing cabinet. Leave doors open for a few hours so nothing smells of damp.
3. Disconnect gas cylinders and hoses yourself or with your gas supplier. Never leave a connected cylinder in a closed vehicle. Follow the manufacturer's guidance for any gas appliance.
4. Remove loose parts such as trays, racks and glass panels and wrap them separately.
5. Tape doors shut, wrap cables, and photograph the back of each machine so reconnecting is easy.

Many bakeries also run a generator. If yours is moving too, read our guide on moving a generator safely.

The heavy items: oven, mixer, dough sheeter

A deck oven or a large spiral mixer is heavy for its size, and the weight sits low. Tell the driver the make, the approximate size and whether the item has wheels or legs. Do not guess the weight. If you cannot read the plate, say so and let the driver look at a photo before accepting or countering.

Plan the carry before the machine moves. Measure the oven against the shop door, the stairs and the truck's rear opening. If it has to go up a flight of steps or through a narrow passage, say that in the request. Our guide on moving from tight access homes in Lagos covers long carries and narrow routes, and the same thinking applies to a shop.

Load the heavy machines first, against the cabin side, and strap them so they cannot slide when the truck brakes. Padding under the legs protects the floor of the truck and the base of the machine.

Trays, tins, racks and small tools

These are light but bulky, and they bend easily.

• Stack baking trays flat with a sheet of cardboard between groups.
• Tie trolley racks together or load them upright against the side so they do not roll.
• Pack moulds, piping bags and small tools in strong boxes marked "kitchen". Do not mix them with ingredients.
• Keep measuring scales and thermometers with you in the car, not in the truck.

Ingredients and packaging

Flour, sugar and yeast should not travel in a hot, closed vehicle for hours. Flour absorbs smells and moisture, and yeast loses strength in heat. Use up what you can before the move, and carry the rest in sealed containers in the cooler part of the load. Butter, eggs, cream and anything perishable are best moved in your own cool box in a separate vehicle, close to the time you need them.

Paper boxes, cake boards and ribbons are light, but a wet tarpaulin or a leak ruins them. If it is the rainy season, wrap them well. Read our note on securing a load with straps and tarpaulins to see what a driver should be doing to keep a load dry.

The day itself

Be at the old shop when the driver arrives, and be at the new one when the first load lands. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept an offer, and bring your own helpers for the machines. Have the new shop floor swept, power tested and the space for each machine marked with tape, so the oven goes straight to its place and nobody drags it twice.

If a second trip is needed, send the machines in the first trip and the small items in the second.

How to do this on Sphere

1. Open the Sphere app and pick a truck for ovens and racks, or a pickup van for a small cake shop.
2. Add the old shop as pickup and the new shop as drop-off, with a landmark in the notes.
3. Describe the load: the oven, the mixer, racks, trays, boxes, and any steps or narrow doors.
4. Propose your price. Nearby verified drivers accept it or send counter-offers.
5. Agree loading and offloading help in the chat before you accept an offer.

For business moves in the city, see office relocation and business moves in Lagos and our truck hire in Lagos page. If your kitchen is bigger, our guide on relocating a restaurant kitchen lists more equipment.