With the impending launch of our newest product, the Magnacool Mini, we wanted to take a closer look at supermarket in-store bakeries (ISB) and what they offer. The newest member of the Magnacool family will be the perfect addition to locations such as supermarkets, due to its smaller dimensions and the savings it can bring to bakeries.
Paul Whitely, head of marketing UK at Aryzta Food Solutions, says:
“Convenience bakery shoppers spend more than average and shop more frequently. The reality is that, on average, an in-store bakery can generate an extra £23.58 per shopper a month.”
Supermarkets that offer in-store bakery options include Asda, Tesco, Lidl, Aldi, Sainsburys, Waitrose, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer Food Halls. Each supermarket has implemented slightly different approaches, with some offering scratch baking and others opting for pre-baked or ‘bake-off’ products which require them to bake in store without the preparation.
In recent years Asda and Tesco have begun scaling down their in-store bakery options whilst stores like Morrisons and Marks & Spencer have chosen to invest and expand their ISBs. So why the different approaches?
Asda was shortlisted for ‘Supermarket Bakery Business of the Year’ 2019 & 2020 and in fact took home the title in 2018 but has announced that it is moving away from scratch baking and instead will see deliveries of pre-baked goods from a centralised bakery. Tesco seems to be following that same approach, after an announcement in February 2020 which saw scratch baking removed from 58 stores and reduced in a further 200. It now offers scratch baking in 257 stores with another 201 offering a mix of scratch and bake-off and the 58 where scratch baking was removed, have been converted to full bake-off operations. They reported that this decision was made based on a shift in consumer preference away from traditional loaves.
Morrisons on the other hand have seen an expansion of their bakery offerings in recent years. In around 450 of its stores, it operates a scratch-baking service and roughly two thirds of its bakery products are made in store by their bakers. Many of these bakers were brought in as apprentices, and, as of 2020 nearly 1700 bakers have been trained to the national standard NVQ level 2.[1]
A supermarket making waves in the ISB scene is Marks & Spencer Food Hall. They have won the title of ‘Supermarket Bakery Business of the Year’ twice in recent years. They pride themselves on good quality, artisan style breads and pastries and notable additions to their offerings are their incredibly popular sourdough loaves and the Yumnut! A hybrid of a yum yum and a doughnut, this innovative treat has been a real customer favourite.
What all of these ISBs have in common, whether they scratch bake or only offer bake-off, is the need for effective cooling solutions. Magnacool can speed up the cooling process, saving time, floor space and ultimately money. If you'd like to know more, you can visit our website https://www.magnacool.co.uk to learn more.
Do you have a favourite in-store bakery? What do you look for when choosing where to buy your in-store bread?
As always, if you’d like to speak to a friendly member of the Magnacool team to chat about how we can help your bakery, you can visit our website, send us an email at info@magnacool.co.uk or call us on +44 (0) 1159 659539
[1] https://bakeryinfo.co.uk/retail/how-do-uk-supermarkets-operate-their-in-store-bakeries/655567.article