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Report
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UK consumers are highly engaged bread buyers, balancing value, practicality and health. Low price is the biggest purchase driver for 44% of bread buyers. This aligns with savvy shopping behaviour,…
UK
Bread, Bakery and Cakes
simple
UK Bread Market Report 2025
Sourdough bread has made gains. Breads offering gut health benefits and high protein content are sought, while pairing breads with 'picky bits' is an opportunity.
Richard Caines, Principal Analyst, UK Food & Drink Research
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Outlook for bread
Opportunities
Strong demand for high-protein bread
Bread as a social food: position breads for ‘picky bits’ meals
Opportunity for a bread brand to own gut health
THE MARKET
Snapshot – market size and forecast
Weak consumer confidence keeps food spend under scrutiny
Graph 1: financial wellbeing and confidence indices, 2019-25
Food and bread inflation has come down from 2023 highs
Graph 2: consumer price inflation for all food and cereals, 2022-25
Strong consumer interest in healthy eating
Graph 3: how often people try to eat healthily, 2018-25
Highly processed foods face scrutiny
Market size and forecast
Higher prices will drive further growth in bread sales
Graph 4: retail value forecast for bread and bread products, 2019-30
Premium products support sales growth
Graph 5: retail value sales of bread and bread products, by segment, 2023-25
Warburtons extends market lead in bread
Graph 6: leading brands’ sales in the bread segment, by value, 2022/23-2024/25
Graph 7: leading brands’ sales in the rolls and other bakery products segment, by value, 2022/23-2024/25
Jason’s Sourdough becomes the third biggest bread brand
THE CONSUMER
Bread and bread product buying and usage
Packaged sliced loaves of white bread are a household staple
Graph 8: types of bread and bread products bought in the last month, 2025
Strong interest in more bread made with sourdough
Sourdough bread makes gains, but there’s appetite for more
Sourdough needs to keep it authentic
Packaged sliced square loaves lead on daily usage
Younger people eat all types of bread most frequently
Graph 9: eating at least once a day, by type of bread, by generation, 2025
Factors influencing choice of bread products
A quarter of buyers want bread that supports their gut health
Graph 10: factors most influencing the buying of one bread over another, 2025
Strong interest in products supporting gut health
Opportunity for a bread brand to own gut health
Internationally, bread has prebiotics offering gut health benefits
Interest in high-protein bread
Strong demand for high-protein bread
Graph 11: interest in seeing more bread with a high protein content, by age, 2025
High-protein bread buyers are unconcerned about UPFs
High-protein breads will appeal for breakfast and lunch
Targeting ‘picky bits’ meal occasions
Opportunity for positioning breads for ‘picky bits’ meals
Tie-ups and bundles offer a way to drive sales
Make bread the centrepiece of grazing boards for social occasions
The bread aisle and in-store bakeries
High usage of ISBs reflects strong interest in bread being freshly baked
Half of bread buyers rate bread from ISBs as better quality than pre-packaged bread
Big opportunity to capture the attention of the majority who browse the bread aisle
PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
More launches tap interest in sourdough bread
Premium dominates own-label sourdough NPD, with more bake-at-home added
Spice/spicy flavours forecast to grow
New flavours also feature in premium own-label launches
High/added protein claims take off in 2024
Graph 12: share of new launches in bread, by selective positive nutrition claims, 2020-25
Stable growth momentum for high/added protein breads
New launches give varying levels of prominence to high-fibre claims
Major brands further extending bread ranges, including more rolls
Sourdough a big focus of 2025 advertising
APPENDIX
Market definition
The market
Forecast methodology
Forecast methodology – fan chart
Retail sales and forecast for bread
Market forecast and prediction intervals (values)
Trends in the population age structure
Market share
Bread – value brand sales
Bread – volume brand sales
Bread – value manufacturer sales
Bread – volume manufacturer sales
Rolls and other bakery products – value brand sales
Rolls and other bakery products – value manufacturer sales
Launch activity and innovation
New launches of sourdough in bread and bread products
Advertising and marketing
Advertising spending on bread by media type
Advertising spending on bread by advertiser
The consumer
Consumer research questions
Consumer research methodology
Repertoire analysis methodology
Other data source methodologies
Infegy Starscape coverage
Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Abbreviations
UK Bread Industry – Trends and Insights
UK consumers are highly engaged bread buyers, balancing value, practicality and health. Low price is the biggest purchase driver for 44% of bread buyers. This aligns with savvy shopping behaviour, although being a priority for less than half leaves plenty of room for pricier breads.
25% of bread buyers in the UK buy sourdough at least once a month, up from 18% in 2024. Launches of sourdough bread have increased from 11% of category launches in 2020 to 15% in 2024, with shelf space in supermarkets supporting the rise in sourdough purchases. There is even more appetite for sourdough bread among 28% of bread eaters and buyers.
While price and longevity are top priorities, there is strong interest in health. Almost half of UK consumers agree that a bread’s taste is more important than its healthiness, 36% prioritise high fibre content and 26% supporting gut health, and 37% are interested in high protein content. Taste and nutritional support are therefore both important in winning over bread buyers.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
Performance of the bread market, the impact of inflation and the importance of low price to choice
Key trends in recent launch activity and future product development opportunities
Buying of different types and variants of bread, and usage frequency
Importance of nutrition to bread choices, including being high fibre, supporting gut health and high protein content
The popularity of pairing bread with various ‘picky bits’ and its relevance to bread brands, including flavours and formats
Shopping behaviours, including usage of and attitudes towards in-store bakeries, and browsing of the supermarket bread aisle
Report Attributes
Details
Published Date
December 2025
Data Range
2019 – 2030
Measurement Metrics
Revenue in £
Country Focus
United Kingdom (UK)
Consumer Data
2,000 internet users aged 16+, September 2025
Number of Pages
51
Market Segmentation
White Bread, Brown Bread, Wholemeal Loaves, Sourdough, Bagels, Wraps, Sandwich Thins, Naan Breads, Pittas, Rolls, Baguettes, Other Indian Breads (including Chapattis), and Part-Baked Products
Leading Companies
Warburtons, Hovis, Jason’s Sourdough, Kingsmill, Roberts Bakery, Jackson’s, Brace’s Bakery, Soreen, Promise Gluten Free, Dr Schär, Irwin’s, Baker Street, St Pierre, Geary’s Bakery, Bio & Me, Biotiful, and Unearthed.
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