High street snacks chain Greggs is to close three bakeries with the loss of 355 jobs as it reshapes its business.

Greggs said that the closure of sites in Edinburgh, Twickenham in London and Sleaford in Lincolnshire was part of a £100million investment to upgrade its bakeries over the next five years.

The group, which currently has 12 bakeries and just under 1,700 shops, said it would offer affected staff alternative employment where possible but, due to the location of the three sites, many people were likely to “leave the business”.

The news came as Greggs reported that further improvements to its sandwich range and the addition of free-range egg omelettes to its breakfast menu had helped push pre-tax profits 25.4% higher to £73million in the year to January 2.

Chief executive Roger Whiteside said: “In 2015 we delivered another excellent performance in the second year of our strategy to transform Greggs from a traditional bakery business into a modern, attractive food-on-the-go retailer.”

Greggs added that it is to increase the pay of its shop floor workers by 5% to £7.47 an hour to maintain “a premium over the statutory minimum”, which is due to rise to £7.20.