St Pierre is expanding distribution for its best-selling Burger Bun range, adding Seeded Brioche Burger Buns to the bakery aisles of another major multiple. Morrisons will now sell St Pierre’s Seeded Brioche Burger Buns across its store portfolio and via its online facility, offering shoppers a wider range of premium products.
The St Pierre brand, which is part of St Pierre Groupe, grew by 86 per cent in 2021, after securing new listings with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. It is the UK’s fastest growing bakery brand[1] and number one brioche brand – a title it also boasts in the USA, where St Pierre has a retail sales value exceeding $100 million.
From January 24th, Morrisons will stock St Pierre Brioche Burger Buns (6 pack), St Pierre Brioche Hot Dog Rolls (4 pack) and St Pierre Seeded Brioche Burger Buns (4 pack) in more than 260 stores nationwide, as well as making the Seeded SKU available online from the end of February.
The additional listing comes 12 months after the retailer embarked on a range review across 170 categories, to make shopping simpler for its customers. Group Commercial Director for Morrisons, Andy Atkinson said, at the time, “We want to work with suppliers, and I think they welcome this as a chance to improve the value for money and quality of our range.”
The latest news is a continuation of the range review, adding a broader selection of St Pierre’s quality range to its bakery fixture.
Chris McLaughlin, Commercial Director at St Pierre Groupe comments, “The Seeded Brioche Bun is already our second-best selling SKU in the UK market and this new listing is testament to our focus on offering affordable, premium quality products that help to ‘make everyday magnifique’ for consumers. Taste is key in bakery – purchase drivers start with the flavour and independent taste tests consistently place our brioche burger buns ahead of competitors for texture, appearance and flavour.
“As a brand, consumers trust us to provide easy inspiration – it’s a simple way to upgrade your meal to restaurant quality and we are driving that message through all our communications channels – whether it’s on pack or via social media.”
Indeed, Mintel’s Bread Report from September 2021 implies that seeded variants continue to be a safe bet for brands, with a quarter of all bread NPD including seeds as an ingredient in 2021. As well as continued popularity, seeds are now synonymous with ‘premium quality’.
A Harris and Hayes report from November 2020, in association with Nielsen, revealed ‘seeds are a great way to add depth of flavour and different textures, making the whole eating experience feel more indulgent’, whilst consumers buying ‘seeded’ varieties perceive better quality ingredients and a more premium product, worth paying more for.
McLaughlin continues, “Consumers have become more exploratory in their tastes. Products that previously were confined to certain meal occasions are being used throughout the day. This is especially true of our versatile brioche range. All of our products benefit from extended-life, which means whether it’s morning goods or bakery staples, retailers can be confident that they can meet demand for quality products - guaranteeing availability without worrying about waste - amidst ever-changing consumer shopping habits”.
The addition to Morrisons’ shelves means that the brand is already performing ahead of its annual forecast, with ambitious targets in place to continue its upward trajectory. The brand has once again increased its marketing efforts, boosting spend to support consumer-facing campaigns throughout the year.