Ahold USA is poised to roll out its revamped in-store bakeries nationwide, following a successful trial of the new format.
The Dutch multinational said that in the case of its US arm, supermarkets in which the reformatted bakeries, along with newly designed fresh-produce sections, saw sales in these categories increase by between 3 and 5 per cent.
BakeryAndSnacks.com reports that Ahold CEO Dick Boer said, "When you look at the new produce departments, and also the bakery, you clearly see a 3-per-cent to 5-per-cent increase in sales, which is what we would have estimated for.
"Stores I have visited, even pilot stores, are growing in sales, so they are in really good shape."
Boer added, "The ambition we have to improve our quality and ranges is really starting to bear fruit."
The bakeries, which are currently fixtures in over 200 of its US supermarkets, will be present in all of its outlets by the end of its 2016 final quarter.
Ahold's US division's strong performance aided the food giant in exceeding analysts' estimates for 2015 Q4.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
