THE UK bakery market is huge, worth £3.8bn, and purchasing bakery products is the third most common reason that people visit c-stores, so it’s vital to the success of those shops, said Martin Garlick, category director of Kingsmill brand owner Allied Bakeries.
Shoppers are most likely to choose where they will buy bread and bakery products on the issue of availability. That means, he said, that it’s essential for retailers to stock the right range and ensure availability at all times of the day. Following recommended ‘planograms’ will help retailers maximise availability and sales, and minimise waste but currently only one in three symbol group stores is implementing planograms.
Consumer demand for healthier breads led to Allied Bakeries’ recent launch of Kingsmill Great White, a white bread with as much fibre as wholemeal, which it says has been the most successful new product launch in FMCG so far in 2014. In three months Kingsmill Great White has taken an 8% share of standard white bread sales, the firm says.
Topping-up is the main reason that shoppers visit convenience stores and ‘food to go’ and ‘meal for tonight’ are the two reasons for purchase in biggest growth. And Allied Bakeries suggests that providing a variety of products such as rolls, wraps, bagels and sandwich thins, including its own Kingsmill White Bagels, Kingsmill Wraps and Kingsmill Soft White, Tasty Wholemeal and 50/50 Roll, will appeal to shoppers looking for those sorts of meals.
At bread firm Hovis, head of customer marketing, Tim Dummer, said pre-packed bread sales are currently worth £132m in Scotland and Hovis has become the fastest-growing brand in both value and volume.
Half and half loaves have seen sales grow by 6.5%. Hovis, he said, produces loaves in the wholemeal, half and half, and seeded granary sub-categories and is well-placed to provide retailers with the opportunity to capitalise on health-led sales growth.
