Sales of sweet baked goods produced by Italian bakeries grew by around 2 per cent in 2015, according to data from the Italian Bakery Ingredients Association (AIBI).
Growth was led by croissants and festive products, which both saw sales increases of 8 per cent. Meanwhile, strong performances from ‘American style’ cakes and pies confirmed their popularity with Italian consumers.
However, pastries and biscuit sales, which jointly account for 40 per cent of total sales, dropped in the same period.
This generally positive trend has certainly been contributed to by bakeries investing in high quality production methods and logistics, which has also allowed for the steady growth of so-called ‘bakery cafes’ in Italy.
A consumer demand for high quality products at affordable prices has also opened new opportunities in the grocery retail for artisan-baked goods.
Bread sales, however, were down by 3.8 per cent in 2015, although the popularity of varieties perceived as being healthier than the traditional loaf is on the rise.
Organic bread sales grew by 2 per cent, while sales of gluten-free products, and those made from wheat alternatives such as spelt, grew by 18 per cent.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
