Finalists revealed for Bakery Retailer of the Year 2024

The strategic initiatives, in-store experiences, and visions for bakery on display in the Bakery Retailer of the Year 2024 category blew the judges away.

This category, sponsored by IFF, seeks to find businesses which understand their customers’ needs and are delivering an in-store experience and products which meet them. Judging included an interview with those behind the retailer’s strategies as well as visits to stores.

Here are the finalists for 2024:

Gail’s Bakery

Gail’s is on a mission to bring craft baking and speciality coffee to more neighbourhoods – something it is achieving at pace as it plans to add 30-40 new sites this year to its estate with around 140 in operation at present. Its products are manufactured in central kitchens and then baked or assembled across its portfolio. The only exception being bread and select cakes which are baked fresh every day at its central bakery and delivered to stores overnight.

Ensuring consistency with such speedy growth is no small feat. Gail’s said it has ‘leaned into craft principles to ensure quality remains a priority’ and paired this with a seasonal approach to baking as well as a focus on nutrition. The latter saw the bakery business reformulate recipes for some of its bestselling loaves adding emmer, spelt, rye, and barley to improve flavour and sustainability as well.

People are another key pillar of the Gail’s experience. Known as ‘Breadheads’ by the company, staff are trained through a trained through a mix of classroom training, craft workshop and on the job training in its bakeries.

The judges praised the attitude and knowledge of staff in stores, noting that it was clear the training set out from the central team is being delivered to customers nationwide. They were also impressed with the quality and quantity of goods on display.

Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer is vying for another trophy having been named Bakery Retailer of the Year in 2022. Not resting on its laurels since the win, the team at M&S has been working hard to elevate its operation further to deliver a ‘best-in-class’ operating model which is profitable for the business.

Its in-store bakeries, of which there are around 600, are primarily bake-off operations with a few thaw & serve lines as well. There are typically two or three bake cycles a day to ensure freshness and availability for customers throughout the day.

Products quality and variety plays a huge part in the M&S vision as it strives to ‘be famous for best in market bread offering’ and to differentiate itself with a range of special and different sweet treats. This included extending its Collection Sourdough range and adding Wildfarmed Regenerative Flour to recipes. The retailer has also revamped its handcrafted pastries line-up with a rotation of new flavours and has overhauled its muffins and handcrafted rolls offering.

To ensure the products stand out on shelf the retailer has also invested heavily in its ISB estate by adding more space to fixtures, switching to ‘market leading ovens’ and putting more of them in, increasing freezer space and growing out posting opportunities in food halls.

Availability and merchandising in stores were ‘outstanding’, according to the judges who added that it was clear the vision from head office is being delivered at store level.

Morrisons

Morrisons remains steadfast in its commitment to scratch baking at a time when some of its major competitors are scaling back on the model. This, it said, is built into its strategic vision for bakery which is to provide ‘great quality fresh products made on site throughout the day using the best quality British ingredients by our skilled colleagues’. As such, bread, rolls, and doughnuts are made from scratch in nearly 90% of its 497 ISB estate every day.

This requires significant investment in training to ensure standards are maintained across the business. Morrisons currently employs more than 3,800 staff across its bakery and cake shops including 1,300 skilled bakers. Apprenticeships play a key part in its upskilling with more than 50 bakers currently undertaking one and more than 260 bakery apprentices qualified since 2019.

When it comes to NPD, the retailer launched a programme of ‘Diamond Lines’ in which it sought feedback from customers, colleagues, and suppliers to find out what they wanted to see on shelves. Several lines have been launched so far with iced finger buns, new doughnut flavours, and smaller packs of bestselling items among them. Morrisons has also invested in a bread re-set and seasonal lines including upgrading its hot cross buns and panettone.

It has also been utilising prime locations away from the bakery, with its £1 Baker’s Special table at the entrance of stores one example of this.

This was one of the areas commended by the judges who noted that the bakery experience ‘started at the door, which was delightful’. They were impressed by the retailer’s dedication to bakery and improvements it has made over the past few years since it was a finalist in this category in 2021.

Ole & Steen

Ole & Steen is bringing a unique taste of Danish culture to the British high street scene with its authentic recipes, curated products, and in-store ambience. The firm currently has 26 locations across central London and the South East, including stores in Guildford, Kingston, Oxford, and Windsor. A central bakery, located in East London, creates the products on a daily basis before they are distributed to the stores every morning.

Its aim is to make every day extraordinary by delivering a customer centric, all-day offering allowing it to meet the needs of customers for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon treats. Socials – available in cinnamon, chocolate, and almond variants as well as rotating limited editions – are the hero sweet treat at Ole & Steen but it also seeks to add excitement through seasonal NPD tailored to occasions including summer, Father’s Day, Pride, and more. Midsommar 2024 is the most recent roll out with the likes of a Raspberry & Pistachio Tart and Strawberries & Cream Cake added to the menu.

Ole & Steen has focused on its wider recruitment strategy, recently bringing on board a head of people, recruitment manager, and coffee and guest experience trainers. It is also about to launch a new internal academy to help staff deliver an exceptional in-store experience. This is also supported by refurbishment of some stores as well as revamped merchandising and signage.

Staff in-store were described by judges as ‘switched on’ and ‘an absolute delight’, sharing product recommendations and delivering an experience worth returning for.

Join us for a night of celebration

The winners will be revealed at a black-tie ceremony on Thursday 24 October at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. The ceremony, hosted by a yet-to-be-revealed celebrity, will also feature a presentation for the Outstanding Contribution to the Baking Industry, sponsored by Délifrance.

Tickets for the awards are available now via the Baking Industry Awards website. Individual tickets cost £330+VAT and a table of 10 costs £3,300+VAT.

The event includes a dazzling drinks reception, a three-course dinner with wine and coffee, and an afterparty complete with snacks and entertainment to help you celebrate into the early morning.

Get your tickets here: https://bakeryawards.co.uk/live/en/page/attend