Lidl's major bakery change beats Tesco as shoppers snap up 'fave item' 122 times a minute

Lidl has made a significant change to outperform Tesco, with shoppers purchasing their 'favourite item' 122 times per minute. The budget supermarket Lidl has surpassed Tesco in the first quarter of 2024 to claim the largest share of the in-store bakery market, according to Bakery Baker website.

The All Butter Croissant is the top-selling bakery item at Lidl, selling on average 122 every minute, based on Lidl's sales data for the first three months of 2024.

Other popular items include the Demi Baguette, Jam Filled Doughnut and Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant, all selling approximately once every second.

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However, it's the 'Special Guest' range, introduced last year as part of a revamp of its in-store bakeries, that has allowed Lidl to surpass Tesco. This range includes new limited edition bakes that are available every two weeks and remain in store for about a month - such as the popular Chocolate Cronut, Cheese Pretzel Roll, Chocolate Twist and Doughnut of the Month.

After being named Bakery Retailer of the Year at the 2023 Baking Industry Awards, Lidl's share of the in-store bakery market rose to 18.2% for the 12 weeks ending March 17, 2024, just above Tesco's 18 percent share for the same period. Kantar data showed Sainsbury's had a 13.7 percent share and Morrisons had just 11.6 percent.

Aldi has been boosting its bakery offerings, offering Lidl Plus users a free bakery item with every shop during February this year. The move is seen as a way to compete with Lidl, which has bakeries in all of its UK stores, reports Birmingham Live.

Aldi offers 40 freshly baked items as part of its permanent stock, including croissants, seeded sourdough, pizza and pastel de natas.

"At Lidl, we're always offering customers a taste of the best products possible, for a fraction of the price and nowhere is this clearer than in our industry-leading bakery," said Scott Davey, Lidl GB senior buying director. "Whether customers are popping in for a croissant or trying out one of our innovative special guests, it's clear our bakery offering is winning over the nation's bakery popularity contest."