TREND INSIGHT
Scratch bakery is a shift into super-artisanal, says analyst
In the $464.8bn global bakery market in-store bakeries are gaining prominence, particularly in North America and Europe, according to Euromonitor.
Between 2007 and 2012 there has been significant growth of this bakery format, its research showed.
“In-store bakeries are a further differentiation of the market,” Deborah Cross, industry analyst, packaged food division at Euromonitor International, said.
“We are seeing a move into super-artisanal, super-premium and it is consumers primarily driving this,” Cross told BakeryandSnacks.com.
“The recession and difficult economic times has led to people entertaining at home more and therefore looking for something more special.”
Within the shift to in-store bakeries, the move towards scratch bakery from bake-off is part of an on-going trend for innovation and new product development (NPD) in the bakery sector, she said.
Product development opportunities
“Scratch bakery gives stores the opportunity to create fresher bread products and may enable them to progress further in innovation and NPD, perhaps allowing time to look into flavors and toppings,” she said.
The trend could signify opportunities for companies to cater to regional and traditional tastes, she said. “Stores could offer specialized baked goods, like ethnic breads, rather than squashing them into the world foods aisle.”
Cross said supply regulation could also be improved as a result of scratch bakery implementation.
Industry supply pains
However, the profound and surging move towards in-store bakeries will certainly hurt small producers, she said, especially in light of higher input and cereal costs.
“These firms will need to differentiate further and look for alternative outlets. The very specialist bakers and artisanal bakers will still be able to differentiate because of the types of grains and ingredients used,” she said.
“There’s still a great big difference between what supermarkets with in-store bakeries can offer and a small, speciality bakery can. However, the gap is narrowing,” she said.
