Sara Lee to Launch Initiative for Bakeries

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. -- Sara Lee yesterday announced the April 2007 launch of a research-driven category-management initiative for fresh bakery departments, which will focus on consumer buying trends, product assortment and promotion best practices, as well as pricing and the motivators of shopper buying patterns. The program, “Sara Lee Insights for Consumer Excellence,” is based on data collected over an 18-month period. Top-line results indicate that shoppers spend 71% more on shopping trips when bread is purchased, and that bread is a complementary or companion purchase to several of the biggest profit generators in supermarkets, including deli meats and cheeses, milk, cookies and crackers, carbonated beverages and salty snacks. “Our research shows us that there is room for growth in bakery sales,” said John Crowder, director of DSD customer marketing for Sara Lee Food & Beverage. “Sara Lee is leading the way to help our retailers understand and leverage current and future shopper trends to expand our base, shopper frequency and total basket ring.”