British Baker

THE SCOTTISH BAKER INDUSTRY NEWS

DON’T LET YOUR CUSTOMERS FORGET YOUR VITAL SERVICE

A word from British Baker

At the risk of preaching to the choir, Scotland is home to an incredibly vibrant and close-knit baking community.

Scottish Bakers chief executive Alasdair Smith recently described it to British Baker as a ‘family’, and the way in which businesses have worked to help each other and their communities during the coronavirus crisis is testament to this. We have covered plenty of examples of the work being done by Scotland’s baking industry, including organising community baking competitions, adapting to produce hand sanitiser and helping the vulnerable. And while in no way wishing to understate the enormity of the challenges facing the industry, research by Scottish Bakers and the Craft Bakers’ Association suggests bakers are feeling more confident in the future. As CBA chairman George Fuller recently put it: “The industry is not only surviving, but bakers are making the most of the current situation, and we are confident about its future success.” And to succeed, bakers have to accept that the impact of COVID-19 will be felt for a long time. For example, consumers who were previously shy of online shopping have embraced it as a result of lockdown. This presents an opportunity to businesses that can offer a user-friendly ordering system and reliable delivery – something many bakers were swift to do in the early days of the crisis. As for those businesses that delivered to customers during those darkest days of the outbreak, or helped their local communities in other ways, remind them about it. Some shoppers have quickly slipped into old habits as lockdown has eased, and turned their backs on local businesses in favour of supermarkets. The multis and local shops both have roles to play, of course, but bakers have provided a lifeline for many residents, delivering essential food items to those unable or unwilling to visit a supermarket. If you provided such a service, don’t let the customers who relied on you forget it – remind them by social media, email or good old-fashioned leaflet. You’ve earned a little loyalty from them. And when it comes to product development for a post-covid market, consider the boom frozen food has enjoyed during lockdown as consumers found ways of shopping less

Vince Bamford, second from right at the 2019 Annual Conference

frequently. Is this a trend your business could tap? Just as our readers are looking to the future and adapting their businesses, so is British Baker. Central to this has been investment in a new system to produce our website, britishbaker. co.uk. This is already delivering a vastly improved experience for users, whether viewing the site on a desktop, tablet or phone. Alongside this, we are evolving our magazine to enable us to better serve the needs of a modern bakery audience. British Baker will now publish six bumper editions a year, each tightly themed around specific, core aspects of the market, such as sweet bakery, equipment or bread. We will also continue to deliver the latest baking industry news via our email newsletter. If you don’t yet receive it, register for free here: account.bakeryinfo.co.uk Like many of Scotland’s bakery businesses, we have served our customers for more than 100 years – and plan to ensure we do so for at least 100 more.

Amy North

Deputy editor, British Baker Amy North, Deputy editor, British Baker

Amy North

BRITISH BAKER EDITOR STEPPING DOWN

The editor of British Baker, Vince Bamford is stepping down from the role to spend more time with his family. We’ve had the pleasure of his company at many a Scottish Bakers conference during his time as editor and we wish him well for the future. In a note to Chief Executive Alasdair Smith he said: “Reporting on the work of Scottish Bakers has been a highlight. The sense of passion, humour and community in the organisation – and particularly the conference – is an inspiration. Long may it continue!”