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Baked goods, which have shared the spotlight with pizza as the only two product groups in the frozen food department to score double-digit gains in dollar sales in 1994, are poised for further growth next year.
Dollar sales of frozen baked goods advanced a hefty 15.2 percent to $419.1 million in the 52 weeks ending Aug. 14, compared with the same year-earlier period, according to a special study prepared for Frozen Food Age by Information Resources Inc., Chicago. During the same period, unit sales rose 8.8 percent to 346.2 million and tonnage sales climbed 10.4 percent to 266.7 million pounds.
IRI breaks out baked goods into four categories--bagels, fully baked breads/rolls/biscuits, pretzels, and pre-baked muffins.
Dollars Rise 14.4%
Bagels and fully baked breads/rolls/biscuits have scored double-digit gains fueled by new items and increased distribution for existing products. The two categories combine to account for approximately 85 percent of product group dollar sales and 90 percent of both unit and tonnage sales.
Bagels, the largest category with more than 60 percent of baked goods dollar sales and more than 70 percent of unit and tonnage sales, were up 14.4 percent in dollars to $256.3 million in the 52 weeks ending Aug. 14. Category unit sales were ahead 6.5 percent to 246.5 million and tonnage was up 8.2 percent to 196.8 million pounds.
The bagel category is dominated by General Foods Bakery Companies' Lender's brand, which represents slightly more than 70 percent of category dollar sales.
Right Place and Time
Jan Hough, category manager for bagels at GF Bakery Companies, credits strong marketing efforts for bringing new consumers into the category. Also, bagels are in the right place at the right time. "Bagels are really a food for the '90s. If you had to design a breakfast food for the '90s, it would be a bagel. It is low in fat, has...