Tesco is mixing things up when it comes to bakery. Over the past few months it has unveiled a new in-store bakery concept, removed bags from its ISB bread and rolled out a range of NPD including Cookie Cakes and Scandi-style cinnamon buns.
With all this change, British Baker caught up with in-store bakery category buying managers Amanda Hart and Nicola Jamieson to find out what the retailer’s strategy is for bakery.
Hart and Jamieson share the category buying manager role at Tesco, with Jamieson working Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday while Hart works Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
”Job sharing is still not a ‘normal’ way of working in the baking industry or retail, and I’m really proud of the fact that both Nicola and I have been doing this for a year in ISB, supported by Tesco,” Hart explains.
How would you sum up Tesco’s strategy for in-store bakery?
Amanda Hart (AH): Our in-store bakery strategy is all about delivering exceptional quality for customers. We have invested in quality in a number of products recently, one of the best examples being our croissants which now have a higher butter content and 24 layers of crisp pastry giving a light buttery taste that melts in the mouth.
How does the new concept fit into this?
Nicola Jamieson (NJ): The new concept is the coming together of a new layout, in-store presentation and packaging design and a number of new products which we are trialling in six trial stores only, all underpinned by our focus on quality.
Based on customer research, we have completely changed the flow in these trial stores, and have divided the fixtures into the three areas: Tea Time Treats, Signature Bakes and Everyday Favourites. In trial stores only, this terminology is being used in store POS. The new layout and design helps our customers find what they are looking for and showcases our trial products together with our most innovative products like Cookie Cakes.
What are consumers looking for from ISB and how is Tesco delivering on this?
AH: Quite simply, innovation, quality and value. This is why we have merchandised our Finest and premium sweet and bread products together in our trial stores under our Signature Bakes banner, to showcase the new product innovation we have developed for customers.
It’s not just Finest that has seen this quality investment though – we’ve worked very hard with our supplier partners on other areas like pastry and doughnuts – products customers expect to taste fantastic but still offer great everyday value.
Tell me about some of the standout new products in this channel for Tesco.
AH: There are so many products that we are proud of. We are particularly proud of our new speciality bread range, which has taken over a year to move from concept to the shelves in our six trial stores.
My personal favourite is the new seeded sourdough, which is bigger than the current standard one, and has significantly more seeds in, making it not only a great source of dietary fibre but also giving it a warm almost nutty taste. It’s perfect for toasting and serving with butter, or dipping into tomato soup as the weather gets colder.
What are your key areas of focus for the year ahead?
NJ: Our focus for now and longer term is on quality, innovation and value because we know that is what matters to our customers, and our highly experienced team have an exciting pipeline of product and packaging improvements planned for the year ahead.
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