Tesco is to roll out a refreshed bakery offer across its UK stores, including almost 30 new product lines, aftter a pilot launched last year.
The supermarket will carry out the move this month following last summer’s trial of the new concept, called simply The Bakery, at some of its larger format stores.
It said it wanted to bring a fresher bakery experience and a more “trendy” feel, but at lower prices than those found at artisan bakeries.
As part of the revamp, the supermarket will also include nutritional information on packaging, such as calorie content and daily recommended allowances, at all its bakeries.
Tesco is making big moves to improve the shopping experience in all its fresh food departments.
Last month, The Grocer revealed it was bringing in new signage and lower-level displays for fresh products including the fruit & veg, fish and meat aisles.
Stores piloting the new layouts have displayed new signage under the banner The Fresh Market, which experts said was a nod to Morrisons’ Market Street proposition.
Its bakery revamp comes more than two years after it sparked major controversy in a shake-up of its offer affecting more than 1,800 jobs, with a shift towards bakery products being part-baked in-store instead of from scratch.
It comes as Tesco looks to embark on a major reset of its stores, starting in September, with a focus on improving its fresh lineup.
Tesco is understood to be keen to introduce more theatre and a better quality perception, with the six-store trial at its Extras in Hatfield, Edinburgh Leith, Amersham, Hayes Bull Bridge Extra, Brackley and Park Road stores proving a success.
Among new artisan bread lines being introduced are Tesco Finest Cheddar Boule 400g (£2.25), Tesco Finest Halkidiki & Kalamata Olive Batard 400g (£2.25) and Tesco Finest Limited Edition Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia 250g (£2.25).
Other new sweet lines include Tesco Finest Victoria Sponge Muffins (two for £1.75) and Tesco Finest Sicilian Lemon Meringue Pastries (two for £1.90).
Amid fears over the cost of living crisis and threats by the government to bring in price caps on certain products, Tesco last month dropped the price of bread and butter across its stores and online. The move included reducing the price of the supermarket’s most popular bread, the Tesco Toastie white bread, from 85p to 75p.
“Times are changing in the baking world, and we’re seeing the emergence of an adventurous new type of shopper who is eager to try more premium artisan varieties of bread and sweet treats,” said Tesco lead bakery product development manager Sarah Donovan.
“Instead of seeing bread as just something to toast in the morning or make a sandwich with, more people are beginning to appreciate it as a food to savour and one that can have many different flavours and complex tastes.
“This has resulted in a major boom for speciality bread with sales of focaccia, ciabatta and Mediterranean varieties all selling really well.
“But we don’t believe that shoppers should have to pay high prices for artisan bakery items, which is why we’ve launched a new range of great-quality products baked daily in store.”
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