Bread is one of the most important categories for village shops, and needs to be managed carefully if the best results are to be achieved. The need to sell it as fresh as possible makes it necessary to balance good product availability with minimum wastage. Virtually every household in the country eats bread. It is a line that people buy regularly and often. Running out of bread at home is one of the key reasons for visiting a convenience store, so it is a vital category to get right – on average the bread shopper visits more often, spends more time in store and has a higher basket spend than the average.
Warburtons has been making bread for over 130 years. Despite its growth to become the UK's Number One branded baker, the company retains the strong values of a family run business. 2007 was a landmark year, when Warburtons achieved full national distribution. The company now operates from 14 bakeries and 15 depots across the UK, whilst consumer demand for Warburtons products continues to increase.
They are committed to baking products of the highest quality that cater for all consumers’ needs and tastes. Warburtons produce a wide range of bread loaves in a selection of sizes and variants, as well as other lines such as rolls, crumpets, pancakes and fruit loaves.
Warburtons takes its role as market leader very seriously, with a team of retail advisers to help retailers to maximise sales. They also provide easy access to planograms to help retailers to make best use of their space, particularly important in smaller rural shops where shelf space can be at a real premium.
As an example of the service on offer, Mike Williams recently took over the three Costcutter stores in Truro, St Austell and Penzance. These stores serve very different communities and needed bespoke ranges to be developed with the help of the Warburtons representative, Darren Hodgson-Baylis. Mike explains, “Working with the Warburtons rep is like a partnership. Darren is always at the other end of the phone to offer friendly advice and that is reassuring to know. Even within the short time I have been trading the range has already evolved and I have seen my sales increase as a result. The fact that Warburtons is a family-run business is evident in the quality of service I receive, right from the friendly manner of the delivery driver to Darren's support”.
Warburtons have used in-depth consumer and shopper research to develop the ‘Perfect Convenience Bakery Fixture’, helping retailers to maximise the returns from their bakery fixture with advice on a range of areas including merchandising, promotions and in-store implementation. Key advice would be:
• The bakery fixture is often at the back of the store, to draw customers through the sales area, but needs to be signposted from the front of the store - make sure customers know you sell bakery products.

• Stock the top brands and the best selling lines

• Ensure the space allocated on the bakery fixture allows sufficient stock to be displayed

• Use new or different products to add variety and interest to the range and encourage impulse purchase.

• Stock a variety of “bakery occasions” products such as fruit loaves and crumpets to encourage additional impulse purchases.

• Approximately two thirds of convenience bread sales are from white bread so allocate enough space to maintain stock availability

• Stock a range of core ‘healthier’ products such as wholemeal – in some village shops, wholemeal can outsell white bread

• Where sales warrant it, an in-store bakery can be a real attraction for customers. It adds value and complements your wrapped range. Use an attractive stand to drive impulse purchases.

Paul Case, National Account Controller, said, "Warburtons, the UK’s number one bakery brand, are proud to support the Rural Shops Alliance. As a family bakery business run with real family values for over 130 years, Warburtons truly value the support of our Independent retailers. We look forwards to working with the RSA to the benefit of rural shopkeepers”.