Professional oven supplier Unox has launched a new model designed specifically for bakery counters and retail environments with limited space for equipment.
The dual-chamber combi oven, known as Bakertop Retail, takes up less than one square metre of floor space and has been developed following two years of research, testing, and co-designing with major European supermarket chains. As such, Unox said the baking station helps address the key challenges facing the retail bakery sector, enabling operators to improve output, ensure consistent quality, simplify operation and make the most of limited space.
Featuring two stacked baking chambers, it can bake up to 18 trays simultaneously. Each unit includes the Quick.Load trolley, an ergonomic loading system designed to make the process faster and safer.
Two models will be available to suit different retail formats. The larger model features an 18-tray capacity with a 12-tray upper chamber and a six-tray lower chamber, while a more compact version offers two six-tray chambers. Both models have been designed to deliver the same performance standards and ergonomic benefits, Unox added.
The oven also integrates Unox’s suite of technologies, including Air Maxi, Dry Maxi, and Steam Boost to help control airflow and humidity, as well as Adaptive Cooking, Smart Preheating, and Climalux which automatically regulate temperature, duration, and humidity during preheating and baking.
“The Bakertop Retail is the result of a collaborative effort between our R&D department and our retail partners, born from the need to combine professional performance with ease of use,” said Unox CEO Nicola Michelon.
“With this project, we aim to offer a solution capable of ensuring consistent quality, operator safety, and space optimisation, all fundamental elements for the retail world.”
Maximising output in limited space presents challenges and opportunities for bakery retailers and their suppliers. Tesco, for example, became the first UK retailer to roll out a ‘bake on the shop floor’ model from Mono which incorporates an oven, cooling rack, loose product display cassettes, and packed product shelving in just over one square metre of shop floor space.
Asda followed suit a year later with an adapted version of The Bake Zone unit as it looked to take an in-store bakery model to smaller stores which previously didn’t have a fresh bakery provision.
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