Scottish Bakers has unveiled its first-ever Future of Bakery report, offering vital industry insights aimed at helping Scotland’s bakery businesses respond to changing market dynamics and consumer behaviours. Created in partnership with international ingredients supplier Dawn Foods, the report is available exclusively to members via Scottish Bakers’ newly launched digital Insights Hub.
The dual-category report, covering both sweet and savoury bakery segments, provides detailed analysis on market performance, pricing trends, and consumer preferences. It is designed to equip bakers with the data and foresight needed to innovate and compete more effectively in an increasingly complex food landscape.
“With shifting consumer priorities, rising costs and a highly competitive retail environment, the need for data-driven decision-making has never been greater,” said Lesley Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Bakers. “This report gives our members the tools to understand changing shopper behaviour and identify key opportunities for growth.”
Drawing on panel data from NIQ—covering 30,000 UK households—and Scotland-specific research from insight firm TRKR, which surveyed over 500 Scottish consumers, the report provides an in-depth snapshot of the current bakery sector.
Key findings include:
Scotland’s sweet bakery market is now valued at £261 million, with year-on-year spending up 4.6%, outpacing total bakery and total grocery growth (both at 2.8%).
The savoury bakery category has also shown resilience, with spending up 3%, just behind overall grocery growth of 3.4%.
Bread remains the largest segment by volume (31%), but the fastest growth is being seen in categories such as bread rolls, flatbreads and sausage rolls — pointing to strong opportunities in product innovation and merchandising.
Cameron noted that sweet bakery, in particular, is emerging as a strategic category for retailers. “Its robust performance reflects its appeal to Scottish consumers and highlights its potential to drive store traffic and increase sales,” she said.
The Future of Bakery report is part of a broader initiative by Scottish Bakers to support sustainable growth, drive product innovation, and strengthen the sector’s competitiveness.
“Our collaboration with Dawn Foods has allowed us to develop insights that are not only data-rich but also directly applicable for our members,” Cameron added. “This marks a significant step in our mission to help Scotland’s bakery businesses grow and thrive.”
The release of the report and the launch of the Insights Hub signal a major investment in knowledge-sharing infrastructure for the sector, as Scottish Bakers aims to position its members at the forefront of a rapidly evolving industry.
