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  Freshly baked authentic Scandinavian cinnamon buns We have also added to our breakfast range a veggie egg, mushroom and spinach ciabatta... Then back by popular demand our Amaretto Range that sold out last Autumn. We have added our new Velvet Americano into the range

  by Leila Lamnaouer "For years, my family and I have wanted to invest in the UK to be closer to our customers and offer them more support and services, in line with our CSR approach (which allows a company to set up projects and initiatives that are part of social and environmental concerns, editor's note) and international development. Investing in The Jones Village Bakery is a unique opportunity to get closer to the best bakery in the UK," commented Laurent Menissez. The boss of the Menissez Group, located in Feignies in northern France, announced in July that he had bought the shares of Limerston Capital, which had invested in 2021 in the bakery group The Jones Village Bakery, founded in 1934 and based in Wrexham in Wales. After Canada and the Netherlands, a stronger presence in the United Kingdom The Jones Village Bakery Group operates on six state-of-the-art production sites (including a new 'super bakery' of over 1,300 square metres) in Wrexham and Minera,

Sourdough remains one of the undisputed champions of the British baking industry. Often the star attraction of an artisan baker’s range, it has also become a key driver of growth for supermarkets both in the packaged bread aisles and in-store bakeries (ISB). “Speciality loaves, which include sourdough, are leading the way for value and unit growth compared to others such as traditional loaves, rolls, and French breads,” comments Hannah Sibley, product and innovation director at bakery supplier Aryzta UK & Ireland. Source: Getty Images / Mariia Vitkovska UK spending on sourdough hit £58.5m, according to Kantar data for the 52 weeks to 17 March 2024 . This marked double-digit (10.7%) growth year on year which, like other categories, is partially attributed to price rises as a result of inflation. However, with 26m packs sold over the period, sourdough volumes were up by 4.3% compared to the previous year. With total bread volumes seeing a slight decline of 0.7%, the sourdough market

Source: Gail’s Bakery The Brown Slab (Dark Sourdough) Gail’s Bakery is rolling out a quartet of new or improved loaves packed with a variety of healthy grains and flours sourced from regenerative farms. As with its  previous bread reformulations  from earlier this year that were aimed at improving flavour and nutrition, the brand has updated two of its traditional recipes by increasing the number of grains to include emmer, spelt, rye, and barley in addition to wheat flour. The San Francisco Sourdough and the Focaccia have both been redeveloped, while The Brown Slab (Dark Sourdough) and the Hazelnut & Walnut Sourdough are newcomers to the Gail’s artisanal bread offering. These will be available from Wednesday (11 September) at all 143 Gail’s outlets, which includes its new in-store takeaway bakery at Waitrose Canary Wharf, as well as in its branded fixtures at 64 Waitrose stores. Gail’s is  targeting 35 new locations across the UK  this year, whilst trying to forever stay a “neighb

28 August 2024 Household real spending on food and drink fell over 2022-23 The ONS has issued the latest edition of its long-running  Family Spending  report, which provides detailed information on how UK households allocate their budgets. According to the data, average household spending on food and drink rose very slightly between 2021-22 and 2022-23, but this was driven by powerful inflation. In real terms, with inflation accounted for, spending actually fell, across all household income groups. Households with the highest incomes cut back most aggressively. Lower income households cut back less, but they were presumably already managing all spending very closely and therefore had little leeway to go further. This ties-in with findings from IGD’s ShopperVista surveys, which show that shoppers across all income groups responded to inflation by seeking ways to reduce food spending, often reducing the amount purchased. This behaviour is also reflected in IGD’s research on UK grocery re

Source: Lidl Lidl’s bakeries have been seen as instrumental in helping drive its recent sales growth Lidl is pitching its bakeries against Greggs in a print advertising campaign aimed at tempting customers away from the grab & go giant. The discounter has been highlighting the savings customers can make by heading to its stores, with a newspaper ad comparing its 39p jam-filled doughnut with a 95p one from Greggs. The ad is part of a wider campaign promoting Lidl’s bakeries, which have been seen as instrumental in helping drive its recent sales growth. The supermarket has been the fastest-growing bricks & mortar supermarket for 12 months in a row, according to  Kantar , with its sales up 7.8% year on year in the 12 weeks to 4 August, boosting its market share to 8.1% up from 7.7%. Lidl’s bakery market share in the 12 weeks was 15.6%, having shot from 10.6% since January 2023. It puts Lidl second only to Tesco in the category.  The retailer has also been using its in-store bakeri

Source: Co-op Customers at Co-op can now purchase in-store bakery lines as part of a meal deal after the retailer kicked off a trial to extend the proposition beyond lunchtime. The new trial will run for 12 weeks across Co-op stores nationwide and will see all of its loose bakery items made available as part of the standard and premium meal deals as a side/snack. This includes bakery staples such as All Butter Croissants, Cinnamon Swirls, and Apple Crown with Almond Danish Pastries. Treat in-store bakery lines, such as the newly launched Cinnamon Cruffin – a hybrid of a croissant and muffin that has a flaky croissant exterior with a soft buttery centre and cinnamon sugar dusting – are also included. A standard meal deal includes a main, side, and drink for £3.50 for members, and £4 for non-members. The premium meal deal, meanwhile, includes a main, side and drink for £5 for members, and £5.50 for non-members. Main options include sandwiches, wraps, and pasta salads as well as sushi and

Source: Getty Images / Thai Liang Lim Gail’s is in the press again due to its use of day-old pastries to make almond croissants, but the issue highlights the challenges bakers are facing in educating shoppers and demonstrating value, says  British Baker  editor Amy North. Gail’s has been having a tough couple of weeks – first residents of Walthamstow started a petition to keep the ‘large-scale bakery chain’ from opening in the area and now it’s being criticised for charging more for almond croissants made from day-old pastries. The media circus around the latter started after a user on X, formerly Twitter, posted a comment stating: “Unsure whether to be impressed or horrified that someone has come up with a concept to capitalise yellow sticker goods to make more profit,” after finding out that its almond croissants cost more than a plain one. The Gail’s website currently lists an almond croissant at £3.80 and a plain one at £2.65, with a Chocolate & Almond Croissant listed at £3.90