“We’re bringing our orange to the very beige world of bakery,” proudly proclaims Sarah Boddy, managing director of St Pierre Groupe.
Boddy stepped into the role in late 2023 having spent a year as head of commercial for the business’ US and UK operations. Now firmly in the driving seat, Boddy tells British Baker her role is to take brioche specialist St Pierre’s challenger brand status “to the next level”. And, unlike most challenger brands, St Pierre has the power of the world’s largest bakery business – Grupo Bimbo – behind it.
Her remit includes the Baker Street and Paul Hollywood brands, which the business will “continue to push”, but the focus will remain with St Pierre, “because it’s our hero”, and also accounts for the bulk of the firm’s sales.
“We are an authentic, quality, prestigious challenger brand which is new to Grupo Bimbo,” Boddy explains. “They’re investing, they’re supporting,” she adds, highlighting that although the business is integrated into Grupo Bimbo, the day-to-day is still very much run from Manchester.
Her sights are set far from the northern HQ though, with ambitions to “take the brand global” by tapping into the might of Bimbo and its distribution network. “The Bimbo brand in Mexico has got 80-90% penetration – it is everywhere, that is its heartland. Nevertheless, they’ve got a presence in 35 countries and it’s growing by the day,” Boddy says.
“We want to make it so French brioche becomes the norm and St Pierre is the name on everybody’s lips”
Although these plans were in place before the 2022 acquisition, the might of Bimbo will undoubtedly fuel St Pierre’s expansion to do it “bigger, faster, quicker”.
That’s not to say St Pierre will be taking its foot off the gas when it comes to its existing US and UK markets, with Boddy noting her hope that it will become a “household name”. “We want to make it so French brioche becomes the norm and St Pierre is the name on everybody’s lips,” she says.
The brioche brand is definitely on the rise with value sales up 64% [Circana IRI w/e 20 April 2024] and volumes also keeping pace. This, Boddy reveals, is thanks to the brand’s new customers, increased distribution with existing retailers, and NPD as well as growth of its core range as well. It has also recently been named a finalist in the new Bakery Brand of the Year category at the 2024 Baking Industry Awards alongside the likes of Jason’s Sourdough, Ginsters, and Deli Kitchen.
“Our household penetration and our awareness are still relatively low compared to our distribution in the market,” the MD says, but notes that the brand is “extremely well placed” to capitalise on occasions across the day when consumers are looking for premium options. Burger buns and hot dog rolls form a core part of its portfolio, particularly during barbecue season, but it is also serving up pain au chocolat and croissants for breakfast, and brioche swirls and waffles for treating occasions.
“We don’t just bring this challenger mentality; we also bring fantastic products with great margins and category growth”
In a bid to increase awareness, St Pierre unveiled its first-ever above the line campaign in June 2024 which it is confident “will have moved the needle” when it carries out brand tracking later this year. Entitled ‘Eat Avec Respect’, the playful campaign included a TV ad, and activation in-store and on social media. Three tearful French characters take centre stage to plead with the UK audience to treat the brand’s brioche with the respect it deserves – ‘For France’s sake’.
The French theme is intrinsic to St Pierre. After all, its brioche is made by manufacturing partners in the country, some of whom it has been working with for 15 to 20 years. “They make the best brioche in the world,” Boddy declares. “It’s authentic, it’s premium – the quality speaks for itself.”
Premium could be a difficult proposition in the current cost-conscious economy, but Boddy is confident in the brand’s offering and place in the market. It hasn’t been immune to the cost challenges faced by the wider food industry but has worked “very hard” with suppliers and retail partners to maintain profitability and also value. “We don’t just bring this challenger mentality; we also bring fantastic products with great margins and category growth. They like having us around so it’s important really for us to continue to do that,” she comments on its relationships with retailers.
For consumers, St Pierre is aiming to bring excitement to the grocery aisles in the form of its year-round Eiffel Tower displays as it looks to “elevate everyday meals”. She points to the rise of brioche in the out of home space, particularly for burgers, so it’s a proposition shoppers are familiar with.
“If they are replicating the out of home experience at home they might be investing in a premium burger or a premium sausage, and what they’re not going to do is put it in a run-of-the-mill white baguette or white roll,” she believes. “They want to have that full experience and will trade up to that brioche. It’s a bit like having your nice gin with a rubbish tonic.”
That’s something plenty of consumers will be able to relate with, as evidenced by St Pierre’s growth.
“We are the fastest growing brand within the category so we’re driving not just value for St Pierre but also overall category growth for our retail partners,” Boddy adds. Indeed, it has grown from “small, humble beginnings. Even only four or five years ago our presence within the grocery market was negligible”, she says. “And here we are now as a huge brand” with plenty of headroom for growth in the future.
If this trajectory continues, St Pierre will be painting the bakery aisles (in the UK and further afield) orange for many years come.
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