Bread fared well early into the recession, as consumers shifted from eating out to brown-bagging and eating more meals at home. New better-for-you options also helped. Take Arnold, which introduced premium breads baked with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Introductions like these helped supermarket sales grow 7% to $9.5 billion in 2008. But dollar sales have since flattened out, a situation that could be a result of food price deflation since unit sales are up 2%.
Manufacturers are working to build sales with a continued stream of better-for-you options, like Sara Lee's Soft & Smooth Plus breads made with DHA Omega-3, and Wonder's Smart-White, a new bread marketed as having the taste and soft texture of white bread — but with the fiber of 100% whole wheat bread. While overall bread sales were down, several segments — including rolls, buns, croissants, bagels and bialys — posted sales increases.
| 52 WEEKS ENDING JUNE 13, 2010 | DOLLAR SALES | % CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | $9.5B | -0.7 |
| Drug | $69.5M | 0.2 |
| F/D/Mx | $9.8B | -0.5 |
| CALENDAR YEAR | 2007 | 2008 DOLLAR SALES | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | $8.8B | $9.5B | $9.5B |
| Drug | $61.2M | $68.8M | $68.5M |
| F/D/Mx | $9.1B | $9.7B | $9.7B |
SUBCATEGORIES
| 52 WEEKS ENDING JUNE 13, 2010 | DOLLAR SALES | % CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| All Other Fresh Rolls/Buns/Croissants | $1.2B | 17.1 |
| Bagels/Bialys | $563.9M | 1.7 |
| Fresh Bread | $6.5B | -2.9 |
| Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns | $1.3B | -3.7 |
