Bakers Delight now has 13.6% share of the Australian fresh bread market
Thriving in a challenging market.
According to Meagan Sanders, Group Manager for Marketing in Bakers Delight, the chain experienced a terrific growth in 2014. "[The chain] now has a 13.6 per cent share of the fresh bread market among Australian households and our Moving Annual Total (MAT) for year on year sales growth was 4.6 per cent at December 2014."
She added that the chain also opened an additional four new bakeries in OZ with another four opened in Canada. "We’re [also] continuing to move up the IBIS Top 500 Private Companies list (currently 63rd)," she shared to QSR Media.
She largely attributes the successful growth to Bakers Delight's focus on "delighting customers", noting "customer preference for authentic fresh bread, the convenience of more than 700 bakeries across three markets and our commitment to customer delight continue to fuel [our] business['] longevity and growth."
"We’re always looking for ways to make the customer experience delightful," Sanders noted pointing to a successful new bread offering last year as an example.
"In 2014, we bought together our six healthiest breads to establish our ‘Healthy Loafstyle’ range, with the support of Food and Nutrition Australia. The objective here was to provide accessible information for Aussie families to choose the right bread for their lifestyle. As a result our healthy bread offer has seen particular growth and now sits at almost 20% of all bread sold in Bakers Delight bakeries nationally."
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES
Consumer spending over the Christmas period grew at its slowest rate in just over two years, said Gerry Gerrard, General Manager of Property for Bakers Delight. However, due to continued consumer demand for fresh bread and bakery goods, the chain has thrived in this challenging market.
"A slow retail market presents obvious challenges but as our growth figures for 2014 demonstrate we’ve managed to stay strong regardless of the impact of the current economic and retail climates," he told QSR Media.
Gerrard shares that Bakers Delight plans to open 15 new bakeries (in each market) across Australia, New Zealand and Canada in 2015 and now seeks new franchisees to join the network. Possible locations in Australia include New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. A total of 10 bakeries are up for sale in the country.
To further assist new franchisees, the chain has established the 'Fully Funded' program. He explained that the "program offers business ownership opportunities to people interested in owning and building their own successful business, but may not have the confidence or resources to go about it on their own right now."
GIVING BACK
According to Sanders, 2015 continues to be a significant year for Bakers Delight. This year, the chain celebrates its 35th anniversary and its 15th year if supporting the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA).
She shared that the chain "reached the significant milestone [this year] of having donated $15 million in funds and services donated to BCNA to support Australians affected by breast cancer."
"The relationship between Bakers Delight and BCNA is really important to our business and has become engrained in our culture. It’s a big part of who we are."
