Bake off: an in-store bakery can mean big sales

An in-store bakery can generate £23.58 per shopper per month on average. BetterRetailing speaks to Costcutter retailer David Wyatt to find out how you can make more from your range.

Get the timing right

A fresh bakery offer can grab the attention and tempt even the most strong-willed shopper and, at David Wyatt’s service station in Crawley Down in West Sussex, his range is an essential part of his offer.

Being open 24 hours a day, he has to make sure his team rotate products throughout the day at the right time to drive sales. Breakfast is a critical time to get right. The first bake of the day happens at 4.15am, but the team bake constantly throughout the day to make sure the products suit what shoppers want to buy and are as fresh as possible.

“You’ve always got to be looking for the next thing. There is definitely a move towards healthier eating. Younger customers are more savvy to what they’re eating, so you have to give options,” Wyatt says.

That’s not to say treats aren’t still important and you can boost your sales if you offer them at the right time.

Vincent Brook, Aryzta Food Solutions head of retail, says: “From 2pm, we know traditional food-to-go and drink-to-go missions begin to slow down, however, treats continue to hold up as shoppers look to treat themselves during the afternoon and early evenings.”

Make it part of your wider offer

Offering a wide, fresh bakery range is the first step to success, but to drive category sales you need to make it part of your store’s wider offer and make it as easy as possible for people to buy from you.

For Wyatt, that means starting with coffee. “Coffee with a breakfast offering is massive. You’ve got to offer coffee first and once that’s established, you can bring in pastries. We run deals like a muffin and a coffee for a set price,” he says.

Aryzta recently launched Seattle’s Best Coffee, which includes two stands to hold morning and afternoon products, such  as cookies, muffins and doughnuts. “This enables retailers to increase their basket spend and upsell to their customers while they are waiting for their coffee to pour,” says Brook.

“A third of consumers buy on impulse, so by positioning our range near coffee, retailers can generate sales.”

Food to go is a crucial part of Wyatt’s offer, with bakery playing a critical role within it. “We do curries and jacket potatoes and other lunchtime meals and create meal deals with cakes and muffins. It’s part of a bigger category,” he says.

He is currently looking into introducing Pierre’s range of artisan sandwiches and burgers.

It relies on his staff being fully equipped with the knowledge they need to ensure that food is served safely and at its best quality.

“We have trained our staff on portions and hygiene. We have a list of processes from start to finish, so even if you didn’t know anything you could follow it. We’ve got ovens now which have the products pre-set on it,” he adds.

Drive shoppers to the fixture

The key thing for bakery sales is that shoppers can see and smell the products on offer.

The fixture has to be promoted to your customers regularly while they are shopping with you. Wyatt’s store is introducing media screens at the pumps, which will put the idea in his shoppers’ heads. Once in the store, he has two TV screens that promote offers that are relevant to the times of the day.

But most importantly, the fixture is clearly visible from the door. He has a three-metre wide display at the back of his shop, which causes customers to walk through the shop and see what else is on offer.

“It’s located next to our coffee machines, which means when people are queuing for coffee they are out of the way of the main aisle,” he says.

To further drive sales, you can put your range right in front of your shoppers. “In addition to providing a range of ovens to suit all store sizes, Aryzta Food Solutions provides a range of display units, including counter top units,” says Brook.

This is also why it is important to keep sales strong after lunch with freshly-baked products, as shoppers will only be tempted if they can see it.

“We know that 26% of in-store bakery shoppers buy food to go on impulse, which is higher than the convenience average of 15%,”  so a second bake for bakery lines, and a well-stocked offer after lunch, such as bagged doughnuts and other sweet treats, will drive additional sales of impulse and take-home products,” he adds.

David’s top tips

1. Start with coffee. Make sure hot drinks are promoted with your bakery range so you can give shoppers everything they need in the morning.

2. Follow health trends. This will help you appeal to younger shoppers and bring them
in store.

3. Promote at every step. Use posters and screens outside your store to talk about
your range.

Are you interested in getting an in-store bakery?  Call Retail Express on 020 7689 3379 for more details.