What’s New in Lidl’s Bakery?
Well known for its quality croissants, Lidl US has added new items to its fresh bakery lineup. The new offerings include a variety of doughnuts, muffins and classic New York-style bagels.
In an exclusive interview with Progressive Grocer in March, CEO Joel Rampoldt talked about this bakery rollout as part of the company’s commercial transformation. “When you walk into a store like ours, you expect to have great bagels and great doughnuts and great American pastries, in addition to all the things that we have today,” he said. “So part of the commercial transformation is that, yes, we have great croissants – we’re absolutely going to stand behind that – but we can have great American doughnuts, too, decadent American doughnuts, larger, richer doughnuts that the American consumer expects. And we’ve got to have great bagels.”
The new bakery items include the Plain NY Bagel, Everything NY Bagel, Cinnamon Roll Donut, Apple Fritter, Chocolate Yeast Donut, Glazed Yeast Donut, Glazed Cake Donut, Blueberry Muffin with Streusel, and Triple Chocolate Muffin.
"These new offerings are part of our strategic pivot here at Lidl US; bagels and doughnuts, in particular, are a testament to our commitment to bring more of what U.S. consumers expect to our assortment,” added Tod Seiling, VP fresh at Lidl US. "We pride ourselves on the quality and consistency of our bakery items, and we’re excited to continue tailoring our baked goods to ensure we’re delivering the best experience for our shoppers.”
According to recent research, the in-store bakery remains a powerful supermarket destination. A recent study from FMI – The Food Industry Association found that a full 95% of shoppers eat a bakery item at least occasionally, and 63% eat a bakery item on a weekly basis.
Further, nearly two-thirds of shoppers (72%) said that they buy indulgent treats (such as doughnuts, cakes, cookies and pies) at the same store where they purchase their groceries, with a majority of these purchases impulse buys.
Lidl operates more than 12,000 stores and is active in 32 countries, employing more than 360,000 employees globally. Lidl US operates more than 170 stores across nine East Coast states and Washington, D.C. The Arlington, Va.-based grocer is No. 91 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
