Investment by Birds Bakery in food-to-go and a rebrand is paying off as it reports a 15.1% rise in revenue for 2023.
The East Midlands-based business posted turnover of £33.6m for the year ended 31 December 2023, according to its latest annual report filed on Companies House, up from £29.2m the year prior. Profit before tax, however, was hampered by rising costs and fell from £2.4m in 2022 to £1.5m in 2023 as the bakery absorbed some of the costs rather than passing them fully onto customers.
“In the past year, we have seen a consistent increase in customer visits as foot traffic in the high street has gradually returned following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions,” it stated.
“However, we have also faced intense pricing pressure due to the effects of the war in Ukraine on food prices in the UK. This has forced us to increase our sales prices in order to maintain the high quality of our products. Despite these challenges, our efforts have paid off.”
Food-to-go and coffee was high on the agenda in 2023 as the family-owned business invested in replacement and ovens and coffee machines to better deliver these services. This included signing a deal with 200 Degrees Coffees meaning that all coffee served at Birds’ 60-plus sites comes from the Nottingham roasters.
Birds added that it remained committed to investing in its future growth, highlighting its ongoing rebrand as an example of this. The firm debuted a new look in January 2024 for a relocated store in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, which featured a new colour palette with a ‘vibrant spring green’ exterior instead of Birds’ existing red colour scheme. The interior also embraced the spring green mixed with warm grey tones complemented by warm woods and terrazzo worktops which an array of baked goods is displayed on.
The rebranding programme will continue into 2024 and beyond, Birds said, highlighting that it also expects to start trading seven days a week from Q4 of 2024.
No comments yet