News and Trends

Source: Subway Subway has introduced the next iteration of its restaurant image designed to further enhance the guest experience, improve convenience, and help drive franchisee profitability. Set for a global rollout in 2025, the ‘Fresh Forward 2.0’ design is to build on the foundation of the sandwich chain’s initial Fresh Forward remodelling that launched in 2017. This is said to have helped reset brand perceptions, grow sales, and reenergize franchisees and their teams. The latest redesign aims to add brand personality through vibrant décor elements including bold wall graphics, localised messages and signage, elevated lighting, and warmer wood tones. Source: Subway Acceleration of Subway’s digital transformation journey is also being supported by the fitouts, including installation of self-serve kiosks ( introduced earlier this year ) as well order ready screens and kitchen display systems, which it said were currently being tested around the world. Costa Coffee has also initiated m

  Caffè Nero, Costa, Pret and Starbucks have released their seasonal menus, with new sweet and savoury items rolled out for the run up to Christmas 2024. An abundance of pigs in blankets have been nestled in toasties and sandwiches, while the classic combo of turkey and stuffing also make several appearances as shoppers look to get that festive feeling for several weeks before the main event. Lashings of caramel, gingerbread, and chocolate are among the popular options for sweet treats. What’s more, bakery items have been used as the inspiration for many of the festive hot drinks this year with the likes of tiramisu lattes and chocolate fudge brownie hot chocolates gracing menus. Take a peek at what the coffee companies have in store here:   Caffè Nero Source: Caffè Nero,  Italian Porchetta Focaccia Premium coffee house brand Caffè Nero has taken inspiration from trending Italian flavours for its yuletide line-up, with tiramisu, pistachio, and focaccia among the items to appear. Caffè

  The pastry awards celebrates the diversity of talents, the creativity and audacity, education, and the commitment to values such as seasonality and biodiversity. World's Most Creative Pastry Chef Award BASTIEN BLANC-TAILLEUR Paris, France France Bastien Blanc-Tailleur, a luxury cake designer in Paris, crafts opulent confections for high-profile clients, including European royalty and American socialites. Renowned for his exquisite wedding and special-occasion cakes, his creations have been called “edible haute couture”. Passionate about pastry since childhood, Blanc-Tailleur launched his business in 2015, attracting clients like Dior, European aristocrats, and Saudi royals. Blanc-Tailleur's dedication shows in his meticulous detail and ability to realize clients' dreams. His signature style includes intricate sugar work, such as lifelike flowers and elaborate decorations. His cakes are not only visually stunning but also delicious, aiming for gastronomic pleasure. His com

  The La Liste pastry awards celebrate the diversity of talents, the creativity and audacity, education, and the commitment to values such as seasonality and biodiversity. The awards are split across 10 categories, with some being awarded to just one winner whilst others feature a selection of names being celebrated. The categories and winners for 2024 are: World's Most Creative Pastry Chef Award  -  for a  pastry chef demonstrating extraordinary creativity, whose technical skill pushes the craft of pastry into an art form. This award went to Parisian luxury cake designer, Bastien Blanc-Tailleur who is renowned for his exquisite wedding and special-occasion cakes, looking after a range of high-profile clients. https://www.bastien-blanc-tailleur.com/ World's Best Pastry Shop Award  -  for a b reakthrough concept from a pastry shop or group in terms of products, design, and customer experience The Ritz, Paris, scooped up this award at its popular Le Comptoir experience and famous

Pastries are flying off the supermarket shelves as retailers look to entice consumers with on-trend, indulgent in-store bakery (ISB) options. Want proof? The ISB category (excluding cake) has grown 5.4% in value year on year to reach £1.5bn, according to Kantar data for the 52 weeks to 1 September 2024, with revenue split almost equally between sweet and savoury lines. Sales of sweet ISB lines are up 3.2% accounting for £746m of sales. It’s not all inflation driven either – pack sales are also up 2.5%. When breaking down the sweet side of ISB further, it’s clear that the star performers of late are in the pastry category – Danish pastries have leapt 15% year on year with value sales of £134m, and viennoiserie is up to £466m representing an 8% improvement on 12 months ago. Supermarkets remain the most common place for pastry purchases, with  recent UK consumer research from bakery supplier Délifrance  finding that 47% of shoppers head to an ISB counter or aisle for their fresh ‘n’ flaky