Staying alert in the UK's new normal

摘要

The talk is bullish. With the Brexit vote in the bag, bakery businesses releasing their results in the past couple of weeks have been upbeat about the market opportunity and apparently confident that, come what may, they will weather any storm. Bakery firms seem prepared to adapt and change strategies in order to grasp any market opportunities in front of them. Following the disposal of its sugar arm, Real Good Food, for example, has revised its approach along three core pillars (see page 5) and is evolving from being simply a B2B supplier into more branded goods. Greencore (page 9) is pursuing what it sees as an already successful food-to-go strategy with the more niche acquisition of The Sandwich Factory, taking it into the gourmet sandwich sector. Meanwhile Greggs (page 9), with a 6% rise in sales for its first half-year, is upbeat about its move towards healthier choices in its food offering, along with an ongoing shop refurbishment to emphasise the food go to nature of its bakery retail business. It is interesting that both Real Good Food executive chairman Pieter Totte and Greggs chief executive Roger Whiteside point to the need to be "alert" to consumer demands and trends, due to challenging market and economic conditions.