AUBURN – In a move to increase efficiency, officials of the former Nissen Bakery are closing the bakery’s distribution center at 660 Minot Ave. The company’s nearby outlet store at 32 Riverside Drive will remain open.

“The reason for the action is to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the distribution network by maintaining four depots instead of five,” said Mark Dirkes, spokesman for International Brands, the company that purchased Nissen a few years ago. He was unsure whether any job losses would result from the closure.

The Auburn depot maintains a fleet of 10 trucks that deliver baked goods – ranging from Wonder Bread to Hostess Twinkies to Drake’s cakes – to towns throughout central and western Maine. Those drivers will now be assigned out of depots in Portland, Augusta, Fryeburg or Farmington.

The outlet store, which carries bakery items as well as cereal, jams, soda and other grocery items, should be unaffected by the depot’s closure.

– Sun Journal Business Writer Carol Coultas