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Source: Photo by mohamed hassouna on Unsplash

By Emma Weinbren (emmaweinbrenwrites@gmail.com)

Publishing: 9 May 2026

Advertising deadline: 24 April 2026

Submissions deadline: 20 April 2026

White sliced still accounts for the bulk of the bread bought in Britain, but it’s facing rising competition from a far wider range of loaves, flatbreads and other baked goods inspired by cuisines from around the world. The past year has seen Italian-style Pinsa, Columbian-style buns, Indian spiced naans and sourdough loaves baked with olives & basil and fruit land in supermarket bread fixtures, to name just a few recent examples. How is all this impacting sales in bread and baked goods? And what’s in store for the coming year?

Innovation:

  • What’s fuelling this new spirit of innovation in bread and baked goods?
  • What have been the most successful launches of the past year?
  • Which retailers and brands are really pushing the boundaries of bread and baked goods?
  • How are sales of bread and baked goods from in-store bakeries performing? Who’s leading?
  • To what extent do new lines reflect changes in eating habits in the UK?
  • What’s in store for the coming year?

Health, sourdough and the UPF debate:

  • How important are health considerations when it comes to innovation in this sector?
  • What examples of health-orientated NPD are there from the past year and what’s in store for this year?
  • Sales of sourdough bread have exploded in recent years. Why? And who’s cashing in?
  • Not all sourdough is equal. Some (such as Aldi Dark Rye Sourdough) has been called ‘sour-faux’. Why?
  • Why is bread often associated wih UPFs and what are bakers doing to reassure shoppers and shake this off?
  • In February M&S’s Only 4 Ingredients loaf was renamed Only 6 Ingredients. Why?

Non-bread baked goods:

  • What have been the most interesting launches in non-bread baked goods in the past year?
  • How much is this part of the market worth?
  • What’s in store for the coming year?

Market dynamics: mergers, acquisitions and administration:

  • Margins are being spread ever more thinly in wrapped bread, causing one brand to go into administration last year. Is anyone making a decent margin in wrapped bread at the moment?
  • Why is it so tough in this market?
  • To what extent is there over capacity in this market?
  • Is the Kingsmill/Hovis merger likely to get the green light from the CMA? What will be the CMA’s chief considerations? How would this deal change the market and benefit consumers?

Innovations: We will profile four new products or ranges. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each. 

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