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The purpose of this paper is to describe the attributes and benefits of branded bread as perceived by the consumers.

Previous research on bread is illustrated briefly. The concepts of brand identity and image are introduced, and the brand as a product is presented and subsequently a value proposition is described and used as a theoretical model.

The findings indicate that nine types of attributes and six types of benefits as perceived by the consumers were found. The types of attributes were related to raw materials, taste, manner of baking, characteristics of the bread, outward appearance, quality, origin, package, and comparison with competing breads. The types of benefits were classified as functional, emotional, self‐expressive, and social. Furthermore, two types of price benefits emerged (positive and negative). The targeted brand identity by the bakery and the perceived image of the branded bread by the consumers were compatible. The brand image as perceived by the customers was varied.

The bakery can utilize the findings in its marketing communication, advertising, campaigns, and when planning the assortment. The findings offer valuable information also for the advertising agency when designing the advertising messages and the unique selling propositions for the case bread.

Compared to the existing research on bread, the contribution of the results is that the bread was analysed from the point of view of the attributes and benefits it offers.

The UK product market for bread is analysed. Some of the main trends visible in this market are discussed. The segmentation of the bread market is examined and illustrated, and some of the major constraints on suppliers to that market are considered. Some of the product market strategies used by UK bakery companies are described. The conclusion speculates on future scenarios based on suggested threats and opportunities deriving from the Single European Market, and the potential break up of RHM plc.

This paper aims to identify customer behavior with regard to out‐of‐stocks (OOS) of perishable products (focused on bakery bread) and the resulting inventory performance for these perishable products.

Insights on how consumers behave when their preferred bread product is OOS are derived based on 3,800 customer interviews performed in three stores of a large Dutch grocery retail chain. Next to this, additional logistical information was measured on regular moments with respect to the shelf availability per stock‐keeping unit during the day and to waste at the end of the day.

The customer behavior with regard to perishables is observed to be different from that for the non‐perishable items. The key observation is that customers have a high willingness to substitute. The incorporation of the obtained knowledge of the observed consumer buying behavior into the existing automated store ordering (ASO) systems is discussed. In the current ASO systems, no distinction is made between perishable and non‐perishable products, as it is primarily designed and used for the non‐perishables. The authors show that the current ASO can be enriched and extended by taking into account some extra crucial parameters which are based on the observed consumer behavior.

One common factor in the research papers published so far is that they primarily looked into the customer behavior for non‐perishable items. The current paper on‐hand extends these works towards perishable items with a focus on bakery bread.

This paper examines determinants of consumer interest in organic versions of wheat products by analyzing differences in selected factors among groups of consumers, distinguished by their likelihood of purchasing organic wheat products. The analysis is performed for bread and cookies to examine whether the findings are different for virtue and vice food categories.

A consumer survey was conducted across the western United States in 2017. Latent class modeling is used to identify groups of “very likely,” “likely” and “unlikely” consumers of organic wheat products, based on preferences for organic wheat products and attitudes toward organics in general.

Consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for organic foods depend on product type. Additionally, significant differences are found across consumer groups—regardless of product type—in the importance they place on labels and product characteristics, WTP, reasons for (not) purchasing organic products and consumption limitations.

The group of organic consumers may be underrepresented in the sample. In addition, since actual behavior was not observed—respondents provided only stated preferences or responses to hypothetical questions—the results should be interpreted carefully.

Few studies have examined preferences for organic wheat products across consumer groups. This study is also the first to examine the connection between wheat/gluten intolerance/avoidance and preference for organic versions of wheat products. Finally, this study adds to the limited literature on consumer preferences for organic virtue and vice food products.

Bread waste is one of the largest contributors to the environmental footprint of supermarkets, mostly because of the short shelf life of fresh bread. This study examined a possible solution: offering frozen bread with a considerably longer shelf life. Professional freezing of bread can preserve its quality better than freezing at home. In introducing frozen bread, supermarkets can communicate either a high construal social benefit (food waste reduction) or a low construal personal benefit (product quality).

An online experiment (n = 367) with a three group between subjects design was used. Dutch participants saw an offering of frozen bread accompanied by (1) a communication message about food waste, (2) a communication message about product quality, or (3) no communication message (control condition).

In line with expectations, emphasizing food waste reduction influenced general attitudes toward frozen bread and the bakery department more strongly than the benefit of higher product quality, while the opposite was true for purchase intentions.

Retailers who include frozen bread in their assortment have to make a trade-off between especially stimulating consumer attitudes toward the bakery department by focusing on a food waste reduction message, or especially stimulating sales by focusing on a quality message.

This study provides new insights into the effects of benefit communication on attitudes and purchase intentions. The results show that these effects differ for attitudes and intentions, depending on the communication message.

The purpose of this paper is to determine composite flour and bread consumption, and to analyse economic efficiency by comparing Kazakhstan and Turkey.

The material of the study was analysed through cross-section, χ² and T-test, data collected from the online questionnaires of 269 families from Kazakhstan (131 families) and Turkey (138 families). The families were classified into four categories on the basis of their income level and into three categories on the basis of their education level and age level.

According to the study results, Kazakhstan and Turkey families consume different types of flours and breads; the consumption of composite flour per capita has been 2 kg/month, but the bread consumption per capita has been 2 pieces/day. A χ² analysis has shown that country, family size, age, sex, income and occupation had a significant effect on flour and bread consumption. It was detected that the price of composite flour products and bread is related to the income of a family. According to the survey data, in Kazakhstan and Turkey, the average monthly income of the families have been calculated as $675, and the average income per person have been calculated as $170. Families purchase of composite flour products and bread has been $6. There is an increase amount of flour and bread consumption (p<0.010) in the low-income level, but in families with high-income level, there is a decrease amount of consumption. The price of flour products and bread is associated with the income of a family; these products have seen as reasonable and practical products. The income level and age level affect the consumption of flour and bread. Although the education level and occupation of consumers are varied, flour and bread have been preferred by every age group of consumers as a conventional food, whether it is a healthy food or not. New trend of consumption healthy products as a composite flour and bread influences on consumers purchase.

Flour and bread constitute the main and strategically important food product worldwide. The food security of a country depends on the state of the grain economy and the broad availability of the population. Grain production is the largest branch of agricultural production, and it has an important economic and social significance. The flour and bread were the main economic and political problem thousands of years ago.

After completion of the case study, students are expected to demonstrate understanding of the process of strategy formulation (which include conducting situational analysis) and strategy implementation.

Perusahaan Azan, which trades under the brand name Roti Azan for its fresh bread and Azan for its dry bread or rusks, was established as a family business in 1968 by Haji Abu Bakar bin Ali in his hometown in Kuala Pilah, in the state of Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia. In the mid-1980s, the management of the business was passed on by Haji Abu Bakar to one of his sons, Haji Mohd Ghazali bin Haji Abu Bakar. Haji Ghazali was named managing director in 1985 and officially inherited his father’s company in 1987. By 2004, Perusahaan Azan breads had started to penetrate major grocery stores nationwide, and later the business began to expand internationally in 2010, with Oman and Iraq among the first countries it ventured into. The company sold both its fresh and dry bread in local stores; however, in the international market, only dry bread types were sold, specifically wholemeal rusks and long rusks, which had longer shelf lives. Post-pandemic, by 2022, the company had exited the retail fresh bread market and had focused only on its contractual fresh bread and retail dry bread markets. He thought about the main strategic choices he had of going forward, either to revive its retail fresh bread segment or venture into a coffee shop business. The former was the bread and butter of the company in the last 50 years. However, he knew that re-entering this market was getting more difficult, as it requires competing head-to-head with the giant breadmakers. There were also issues of rising costs and high wastage. For the latter coffee shop project, the company did not have experience in directly “serving” the customers, with its businesses so far had been mainly in production. He pondered on the best decision to undertake to sustain the company’s profitability into the next generation. Few family businesses can pass this crucial stage. He knew he had to act fast to ensure that the company’s plans for the future could be successfully implemented. The case study is suitable for use in teaching courses in strategic management, organisational management and integrated case study for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates in the programmes of business administration, Muamalat administration and accounting.

The case study is suitable for use in advanced undergraduate students in management, business administration, Muamalat administration and postgraduate students in MBA, Master in Muamalat Administration or other related master’s programmes with a course in strategic management, organisational management and integrated case study.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

Arjun Sekri, a professional-turned-entrepreneur, set out to establish the first branded gourmet industrial bakery in Bengaluru, India in late 2002. His lack of experience in the unorganized food and beverages industry did not deter him from establishing a highly popular industrial and retail bakery chain called “Daily Bread”. The case is about his roller coaster ride in establishing a premium retail food brand in India. Though many of the stores did reasonably well, many things went wrong predominantly on the operations front due to the severe impact of global price inflation, manifested by high real estate rentals, raw material, packing and logistics costs and wage costs. After two years of rapid expansion, in order to curb the bleeding bottom line, Arjun decided to shut down all the newly created stores and production units except the one in Bengaluru which was doing well. By late 2009, the dilemma Arjun faced was what should he do next?

The case study is based on primary data collected from the protagonist and a few other stakeholders involved in the case along with secondary data from published sources.

Entrepreneurship courses at MBA level or executive programs.

The case deals with the life cycle management of a venture with special emphasis on opportunity evaluation, setting up, funding and stakeholders selection.

This paper aims to examine and assess the sodium content in various pre-packed bread products marketed in three cities, Muscat, Morgantown (West Virginia) and Stockholm, and in combination with spread products. It also aims to investigate the pattern of public consumption of bread in Muscat.

A random cross-sectional investigation was followed. This study used the nutrition panel of selected bread and spread products to record sodium content and a close-ended questionnaire.

The mean sodium content in 100 g of bread marketed in Muscat was significantly lower than that in Morgantown (p < 0.001) and Stockholm (p < 0.022). The intake of 100 g of any bread type with 40 g of cheese spread will offer more than 20 per cent of the recommended daily intake of sodium, which poses a health risk upon frequent consumption. Results from the survey conducted in Muscat showed that most of the people consume bread in breakfast and the average amount of bread consumed per day was reported to be 100 g. Only 74.9 per cent of the participants knew that salt is added in the making of bread.

This research is of a value to food policymakers in relation to the use of salt (sodium) in bread. Sodium content in bread products varied significantly in the selected markets. Daily consumption of bread with cheese spreads should be either reduced or avoided by children because of high sodium content. Average intake of 100 g bread per day by participants in the survey is an indicator of a reduced exposure to sodium.

Our Daily Bread was a small boutique bakery producing a variety of daily and specialty breads. The company had excess capacity and was considering several options to increase revenues by entering the wholesale bread production business. The case allows students to perform process analysis in a multiproduct setting with seasonal demand and evaluate the impact on capacity, as well as the profitability of, potential wholesale orders. The case also enables analysis of the option to purchase new equipment. A teaching note and video supplement (OM-1018V) are available to registered faculty. The videos highlight the stages in bread making and provide a bird's-eye view of the entire operation. VIEW DEMO