Parsons Bakery reported sales of £14m for the year ending 31 December 2021 | Photo credit: Parsons Bakery

UK-based Parsons Bakery has reported sales growth of 32% for 2021 and overall profit growth of 54%, led by new delivery partnerships. 
 

Having launched with delivery platforms Deliveroo and UberEats to mitigate trading restrictions during the pandemic, Parsons Bakery, which operates 48 UK stores, reported sales of £14m ($16.7m) for the year ending 31 December 2021. Meanwhile profit reached £2.2m ($2.6m). 

A report accompanying the bakery-café chain’s results said: “In what was a challenging year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our people rose to the challenge of supplying fresh handmade bakery products every day to our 48 neighbourhood bakery shops. We invested in store refurbishments to enhance customers’ shopping experience and continued improving our instore till and IT system. The company also opened additional new sales channels by using third-party delivery partners such as Deliveroo and UberEats, which proved to be a great success.” 

Delivery also helped boutique bakery group Gail’s weather Covid-19 trading restrictions and temporary store closures. Reporting its financial results for the 12 months to 28 February 2021, Gail’s said that growth in its retail channel, including major supermarket partnerships and delivery, had boosted profits. 
 

Bakery-cafés are an established part of the UK’s branded coffee shop market, which stands at over 9,500 outlets. World Coffee Portal forecasts the competitive food-focused segment of the market, which also includes Greggs, Gails, West Cornwall Pasty Co and Bakers + Baristas, to exceed 4,300 stores by 2026.