News and Trends

  Holland & Barrett, the UK’s leading health and wellness retailer, opened the doors to it’s first H&B Experience Store on Thursday 20 th  March on Cardiff’s Queens Street, voted the UK’s best high street. The 3710sq.ft store, making it  H&B’s  largest store to date, comes complete with a fresh look and feel, boasting even more of Holland & Barrett’s latest range of health and wellness solutions and brand-first immersive experiences.   Following customer insights pointing to demand for immersive experiences, Cardiff will host H&B’s first wellbeing studio to offer customers a holistic experience, including yoga and pilates. The Experience Store will also offer health checks and blood testing and an in-store H&B&Me pod to help customers to learn their biological age and discover healthy habits to support their long-term health and wellbeing.   The health and wellness giant partnered with ideas-fuelled creative agency, Syn, to reima...

  Vandemoortele  , a family-owned agri-food group with a century-old history and strong roots in Europe, and  VIVESCIA  , a leading French cereal cooperative group, announced today that they have signed an agreement for Vandemoortele to acquire Délifrance  .  A wholly-owned subsidiary of VIVESCIA Industries, Délifrance is one of the European leaders in  frozen baked goods  , with nearly 3,200 employees, an industrial network of 14 sites, and revenue of approximately €930 million as of June 30, 2024. Délifrance is a BtoB brand recognized worldwide for the level of quality of its products, embodying the excellence of French bakery. Mainly present in Europe and Asia, Délifrance offers solutions and services to players in mass distribution, out-of-home catering and artisanal bakeries. A new top-tier ensemble By combining their expertise and know-how, Délifrance and Vandemoortele could meet the challenges of tomorrow, offering their customers a complet...

S ource: Speciality Breads Artist impression of the new 180,000 sq ft bakery in Manston Margate-based wholesale business Speciality Breads is investing £20m in a new 180,000 sq ft production facility as it aims to become the most sustainable bakery in the UK. Located in the village of Manston just a few miles down the road from its current site, the factory will feature a hybrid stone bake oven (gas/electric) – said to be the first-of-its-kind in the UK – as well as a state-of-the-art production line, both supplied by Dutch equipment manufacturer Royal Kaak. It is also a redevelopment of an existing building, which the company noted fits perfectly with its sustainability goals as it is much less carbon intensive than constructing something new on a greenfield site. It will have solar panels installed on the roof to support the bakery’s energy requirements. The £20m cost of the fit-out is being part self-funded and part-funded by a bank loan, confirmed Speciality Breads, with production...

Are you looking for new ideas to attract more customers in 2025? Following up on our " top 7 bakery trends in 2024 ", and keeping in mind that several trends are still very much active (such as bakery as an art form, croissant 2.0, XL viennoiseries, or travel with food), we have been studying and monitoring hot topics that will drive the industry this year. And we are very happy to share with you the exciting  10 bakery trends  that will have an impact on the sector and help you spice up your offer and stay ahead of your customers' expectations by following them. What are the new trends in bakery (viennoiserie, pastry, bread, food...)? The world of baking is evolving in 2025, striking a balance between tradition and modernity to offer ever more indulgent and innovative creations. As consumer preferences oscillate between  authentic flavors  and  bold new experiences , the industry continues to explore new possibilities. From the ongoing rise of sourdough to inve...