Last year saw the revival of traditional bread and rolls selling through supermarket in-store bakeries (ISBs), with sales of traditional breads breaking through the £200m barrier.

The latest IRI sales data, (52 w/e 27 December 2008), shows that traditional rolls soared by 23%, while traditional bread was up 15%. Growth outstripped that of the speciality breads sector, which rose 7%, while speciality rolls fell by 4%.

Category growth was fuelled, in part, by plain breads, which were up 8.3% on 2007, while premium breads, priced between £1 and £2, were still showing strong growth by the year end.

Muffins, Viennoiserie, Danish and French baguettes all saw double-digit growth. But ISB bagel sales slumped by a disappointing 13%, as did patisserie, which was down nearly a third.

Kate Raison, marketing director of bake-off supplier Bakehouse, which supplied the data exclusively to BB, said new bread launches were focusing on health, while seeded breads remained popular. Changes to weight legislation would free up opportunities to develop new formats and sizes, she added.