News and Trends

Source: https://flour.co.uk/artisan-bakery-report/ https://bakeryinfo.co.uk/retail/revealed-what-consumers-want-from-an-artisan-bakery/725199.article  Artisan loaves are proving a hit with younger consumers – 45% of 18 to 24-year-olds who visit artisan bakeries buy bread there at least once a week. That is one of the findings in a new report from Marriage’s Millers, entitled ‘Crafting the Future of Artisan Bakeries’ , that polled 1,006 UK adults and reveals what consumers look for in an artisan bakery. A third of UK adults who visit artisan bakeries now buy bread there at least once a week, and sourdough is nearly as popular as white bread, researchers found. While the traditional white loaf remains the top item in artisan bakeries – bought by 41% of shoppers – sourdough was close behind at 39%. These were followed by French-style loaves such as a baguette or boule (25%), wholemeal loaves (24%), and multigrain/seeded loaves (21%). Source: Marriage’s Millers: Crafting the Futu...

 Source: Retaildetail.eu Albert Heijn will roll out dynamic pricing in its bakery section across the Netherlands. Using internally developed AI, the retailer predicts how much bread each store should need and automatically adjusts prices throughout the day. AI drives baking and pricing decisions Both freshly baked rolls and whole loaves will see their prices gradually drop throughout the day, with final discounts of up to 70%. Customers can view these discounts in the AH app under “Last Chance Bargains” and in-store on digital shelf labels. This dynamic pricing system builds on “Bake,” an internal application for the bakery departments. The AI behind Bake accurately predicts demand throughout the day and adjusts supply as needed. This helps the chain avoid overproduction. Albert Heijn rolled out “Bake” in all stores in the summer of 2025, and by the second half of the year, bread waste in its own stores had already decreased by 815,000 kilograms. “A great example of how we use AI”...

Coffee’s not just a pick-me-up anymore. It’s helping bakeries pull ahead in a slowing market Key takeaways: Coffee quality now drives bakery choice, with 81% of consumers saying it’s a major deciding factor. Younger drinkers are pushing demand for cold and specialty coffees, boosting average spend per visit. Bakeries offering premium, convenient coffee experiences are outperforming the wider out-of-home market. Coffee chains might still dominate the headlines, but the real buzz is brewing inside bakeries and sandwich shops. Lincoln & York’s newest report finds that 81% of consumers say the quality of the coffee is a major factor in where they buy their bun – a stat that’s forcing operators to think differently about their drinks offer. Almost half (47%) of consumers buy coffee from a bakery or sandwich shop once a month, and one in five 25- to 34-year-olds do it weekly. Another 68% would recommend a bakery purely on the strength of its coffee. That alone says plenty: coffee’s not t...

  Baked goods and food-to-go are natural partners, but this, in our view, is of increasing importance across the sector, and we see potential for bakery to play a bigger role in future. Here are some of the ways we are seeing this coming through:   The bakery-led café concept is a market sweetspot   Gail’s in the UK is a prominent example here, but there are many others. For example in Paris and Copenhagen, there are numerous examples of this, not least in the development of Eric Kayser and Lagkagehuset (trading as Ole & Steen in the UK and the US), both domestically and expanded significantly and internationally over recent years. During safaris in Stockholm earlier this year we were struck by food-to-go developments at the bakery-led Bröd & Salt, even adding a salad bar concept into some locations, and supporting bakery with a strong coffee and broader drinks offer. We see three clear elements driving success: 1) quality bakery that tempts in its own right 2)...