Bread: staple remains stable

Bread continues to be a staple in the American diet, maintaining consistent sales throughout the year, second only to the cake category among supermarket in-store bakery departments. National bread sales in 2006 accounted for 18 percent of bakery department sales showing no change compared to the previous year, according to the Perishables Group. The Chicago-based market research firm compiles scanner data from the perishables departments of more than 16,000 stores nationwide. This report includes the group’s most current annual data from the 52 weeks ending Nov. 30, 2006.

Mirroring the in-store bakery department’s overall growth
trend, the bread category showed a 9.2 percent increase in
dollar sales from a year ago, averaging $1,492 in sales per
week per store. Historically, bread sales spike in March near
the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, as consumers celebrate with Irish
soda bread and accompany their corned beef with brown and
rye breads. During the 52-week time frame, the third highest
sales week per store was the St. Patrick’s Day week, following
which sales declined steadily throughout the month of April.

Fresh Seasons Market, Minnetonka, Minn., reports an
upswing in rye bread sales in particular during the St. Patrick’s
Day season, says Sheila Wylie, bakery manager. “We always
put rye breads on special during St. Patrick’s Day,” she said.
“We also combine with the deli department to demo ruben
sandwiches every weekend during the season.”

Regionally, the East region contributed the highest percentage
of bread sales to the bakery department, averaging 20.2
percent per week per store. Category contribution in the East
was nearly two percentage points higher than the national
average and up 0.1 percent points compared to the previous
year. The region also claimed the greatest bread dollar sales
across the country, averaging $2,412 per week per store,
slightly up from year ago sales.

Fresh Seasons Market’s bread sales are higher than the Perishables
Group’s average 18 percent share of bakery sales. “It
depends on the area you are in,” said Wylie, who has worked
in in-store bakeries for 18 years, primarily with Rainbow
Foods. “Our (Fresh Seasons Market) customers like heartier
hearth breads, and our organic line also sells well.”

Across the United States, hot/hearth breads accounted
for 39.4 percent of bread sales, followed by artisan/specialty/
crusty breads at 25.7 percent. Breakfast/sandwich breads at
18.4 percent had the third highest dollar share, followed by
healthy/fortified breads at 9.1 percent and finally miscellaneous
breads, categorized as “other,” registered 7.4 percent of
category sales.