Puratos UK sales director Lee Burnside looks at how the coronavirus outbreak is shaping consumer habits in the Scottish bakery market.
We have seen many bakers across the country adopt different approaches to maintain revenue and support their local community, either through selling flour, yeast and eggs to consumers, or using sandwich delivery vans to make deliveries of bread and/or create a mobile shop.
These challenging times are creating new thinking that will be healthy for the industry long-term.
Fresh patisserie sales are declining, with consumers still wanting to have a treat, but opting for longer-life, individual products rather than fresh sharing options that they can keep in the cupboards.
The Empire biscuit and the national favourite the Snowball are continuing to sell well, showing that consumers are looking for familiar and trusted products that give them comfort.
This is proving evident also within bakery, as Scotch rolls and potato scones are continuing to sell out. At Puratos, we are seeing up to a 20% rise with some customers for ingredients to make these lines.
As the initial panic-buying begins to subside, consumers are consciously looking for healthier items such as breads that are high in fibre, wholegrains and seeds to try to maintain healthy lifestyles throughout this period.
Consumers have opened their minds to alternative products and brands as their usual products have become unavailable, causing an inevitable shift in brand loyalty – opening up new opportunities for the future.
As long-term suppliers into the Scottish market, our sales and technical support team remain at the disposal of our customers to help them solve the problems of today and also provide alternative solutions to address challenges as a result of Covid-19.
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