BRISTOL FARMS DEBUTS NEW-FORMAT BAKERY

STEPHEN DOWDELL

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Upscale supermarket operator Bristol Farms here has launched a new format that features an "authentic French bakery" nestled in a walkaround island in the middle of the store.

The new 32,800-square-foot Westlake Village unit, Bristol Farms' fifth, represents the retailer's taking its philosophy into an expansion phase that could see as many as 30 new stores opened in the state by the end of the decade, said officials.

In a statement, the company said it will expand by using fresh foods and specialty packaged goods in a strategic merchandising formula "catering to the three ways that people eat: by supermarkets, by restaurants and by home meal replacements."

The newly designed scratch bakery, equipped with European hearth ovens, is called La Bakerie Bristol Farms.

"About a year ago we hired a new director of bakery from France, and he has been bringing in a lot of French bakers and is changing the way we run the bakery," Jodi Taylor, Bristol Farms' director of marketing and advertising, told SN.

The newest bakery represents the biggest step yet in that evolution. It cranks out more than 460 items, many in full view of customers, and specializes in breads, muffins, pastries, cookies and pies. French-influenced items are supplemented by traditional American products from New York cheesecake to sticky buns and bagels.

Besides the walkaround bakery, the store features a cappuccino/espresso bar, situated at the entrance.

In-store commissary and catering operations produce most of the prepared foods at the site, Taylor noted.

Taylor said that because of the store's location in an entertainment/shopping complex, Bristol Farms expects the unit to become a destination point. "We have always tried to incorporate theater into the store, so the match should work well and have a definite impact on overall store volume."