focus on... home baking
PB | The Grocer | 20 July 2019 Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk 20 July 2019 | The Grocer | 41
44 Savoury cakes
How cakes made with ham, olives
and cheese are o ering a heathier
alternative to sugary treats43 Mixing it up
Baking kits from Michel Roux and
Mr Kipling star in our round-up of
NPD in the sector42 Sinking sales
Home baking sales have fallen
across the board. What’s behind
that decline?Failure to rise
Home baking sales are sinking as Brits bake less often. So can
premium launches tempt bakers to pick up their whisks again?
home baking – from our to sugar and bak-
ing fruits – that add up to a £11.8m slump. For
a category that prides itself on aesthetics, it
doesn’t paint a pretty picture.
Yet there is some hope on the horizon. A
slew of premium products have made their
way into the aisles this year, hoping to tickle
the (French) fancy of Britain’s bakers. These
innovations are looking to drum up some
much-needed excitement by creating some-
thing a little more high-end than your stand-
ard vicky sponge.A
ny amateur baker can tell you the
distress of peering into the oven
and realising disaster has struck.
Be it a soggy bottom, a he y burn
or simply a creation that has fallen at, there
is nothing quite like a baking fail to make
your heart sink.
It’s a feeling shared across the home bak-
ing market this year. Despite last year’s brief
and shining return to growth, sales are once
again sinking. Volumes have fallen 1.5%
amid a general decline in shopper engage-
ment [Kantar 52 w/e 24 March 2019]. “The
average shopper made 13 home baking trips
in the last year, 2.2% less o en than the year
before,” says Kantar analyst Amber Trott.
And unlike last year, prices have remained
either at or declining. Which has resulted in
value drops across pretty much every area ofAsh O’Mahony So is this wave of premium products
enough to get another rise out of home bak-
ing? And crucially, do they have what it takes
to stop shoppers turning away from the cat-
egory altogether?
The harsh truth is that Brits are baking less.
Combined, sweet and savoury baking occa-
sions are down 8% [IRI 52 w/e 25 May 2019].
It’s an issue that needs to be addressed head-
on if the category is to return to growth, says
Jen Brown, head of marketing at Dr Oetker.
“It’s the role of manufacturers, brands and
retailers to inspire consumers and give them
more occasions and reasons to bake to drive
sales throughout the whole year, not just dur-
ing peak periods.”
The home baking xture is one area in
particular need of inspiration, argues Helen
Touchais, home baking brand director at
Premier Foods. She believes shopper moti-
vation for home baking starts to decline“It’s the role of
manufacturers, brands
and retailers to inspire
consumers”