Kingsmill aims to help consumers find new possibilities for a breakfast favourite
Bread has been a staple of British households for as far back as anyone can remember. According to Nielsen Homescan figures, quoted by Allied Bakeries, it remains the most consumed food item in the UK, and appears in more shopping baskets than any other product. But has bread and bakery, in retailing terms, been going a bit stale?
Zoe Taphouse, category director for the Kingsmill brand owner, certainly thinks so.
She reckons bread and bakery has suffered from a lack of in-store investment. And that in turn has given bakery displays a “factory” look, functional perhaps but lacking, in her eyes, any of the emotional attachment that consumers feel for bread and bakery items.
It’s an environment or backdrop that the category “needs to move away from”, she said.
The ambition of Allied Bakeries, Taphouse said, is to transform bakery from being just another category to become a much-loved experience. And, right now, the foodstuff that the company has targeted for reinvention … is toast.
“The bakery category has been neglected for too long,” Taphouse said. “Despite bakery appearing in more shopping baskets than any other category, the category seems uninteresting to many. This is felt most at breakfast, with consumers swapping bakery for alternatives such as cereal and breakfast biscuits.
“We need to reignite people’s passion for bakery and bring them back to the category by reminding them how it can be both exciting and delicious.”
Breakfast is the single biggest meal occasion for the UK population and presents a huge market opportunity for bakery lines, she said. That’s why Allied Bakeries has launched new Kingsmill Toasties.
They’re designed to be toasted, to give a crisp and golden outside, and then torn into two triangles to reveal a soft middle packed with fruit. Kingsmill Toasties are available in three combinations: Mixed Berry, Cinnamon & Raisin and Honey, and Oat & Red Berry, with an RRP of £1.19 for a pack of four.
“We believe the time is now for retailers to seize the opportunity bakery presents. Our investment in Kingsmill Toasties and exciting future plans echo the scale of our commitment to the category,” Taphouse said.
