Artisan bakeries the Flour Station and the Bread Factory have won listings with Union Market a newly launched retailer that combines elements of a farmers’ market with the convenience of a supermarket.
The first Union Market store, located in the 5,000sq ft former booking hall at Fulham Broadway underground station, opened this month, championing local and British food and drink from small producers.
The bakery section, which is in a prominent position near the entrance, features over 100 different products from London bakeries the Bread Factory and the Flour Station, including sourdoughs, farmhouse loaves, rolls, muffins and bagels.
Also available is Flour Station’s London Bloomer, first launched in Britain during the Second World War and made with wheat grown and milled within the bounds of the M25.
Patisserie and loose chocolates are supplied by chocolatier Damian Allsop, while the Flour Station and the Bread Factory are working together to deliver the products to the store in one go, thereby helping to reduce food miles.
The deals could prove lucrative for the two bakeries in the future, with plans to open up to 20 Union Market outlets in London in the next five years before rolling the brand out nationally.
"If their plans succeed, they would be a really good customer for us," said Tom Molnar, trading director at The Bread Factory. "There’s a huge appetite for good food out there and it says something about how people view freshly baked bread that they have put their bakery display right at the front of the shop."
Union Market is the brainchild of investor Tony Bromovsky, with financial backing from investment group Odey Asset Management, and is headed up by former Whole Foods and Selfridges executives.
No comments yet