St Pierre Bakery has announced new, branded distribution with Walmart.
Its sliced brioche loaf variants have launched into 2,220 Walmart stores, while its brioche waffles with butter (six-pack) are available in more than 4,000 stores.
“This is fantastic news for the brand and the result of a collaborative relationship we have built with Walmart, creating a sound strategy and a lot of shared insight,” said David Wagstaff, managing director, St Pierre Bakery.
“The St Pierre range offers authentic, high quality and consistent products that meet customers’ needs in a growing category and offer something different. What’s more, our fill rates are unrivalled – and that is crucial in the current climate.
“We have invested heavily in our supply chain to ensure we maintain our industry leading fill rates and deliver for our customers. We knew that the opportunity justified the investment, but driving distribution was key to realizing it and our products appearing on shelves in Walmart stores nationwide has helped us to do just that.”
The St Pierre brand is situated in the in-store bakery category, but distribution through Walmart will see the loaves merchandized in the commercial bread aisle. The brand is also investing in marketing to support the launch and drive national sales.
“Premiumization is a trend borne of the pandemic, but it’s still gaining momentum and it’s here to stay,” Wagstaff said.
“Changes in consumer habits mean that shoppers are not willing to compromise on quality. St Pierre is perfectly placed to offer our shoppers an upgrade to their usual loaf in a category where consumers are routinely ‘trading up’ to elevate at-home meals.”
Consumer demand for quality products is demonstrated in category data. Brioche as a category has grown by $98 million compared to this time last year, and branded offerings are outpacing private label growth in the sector. St Pierre is leading with about 18 percent branded market share and 71 percent branded market share within in-store bakery.
“The financial difference for consumers between buying ‘good’ or ‘best’ is marginal – therefore, shoppers are more likely to opt for the better quality, or premium offering,” Wagstaff said.
“St Pierre wins out in independent taste tests on taste, texture and flavor, and we understand that driving trial is key. Our distribution with Walmart will ensure we continue to drive trial across America, highlighting the brand to a new audience and continuing our phenomenal growth.”
For more information, visit stpierretrade.com.
