Pyaterochka’s Bread Day study confirms a rising interest in baked goods across the retailer’s network. The research looks at how preparations for the summer season influence bakery sales and tracks where Russians shop for bakery items at Pyaterochka bakeries, how often they buy, and which products they prefer. The goal is to capture real shopping patterns across cities and villages alike, offering a clear view of consumer choices inside a large retail system. By analyzing purchase data, the study outlines the breadth of the bakery assortment, unveils growing preferences, and helps inform decisions about product mix, promotions, and store merchandising. In essence, the Bread Day study maps both the range of offerings and the depth of appetite for baked goods, spanning everyday staples to more indulgent treats across the nation.
Eight months into the year, Pyaterochka customers purchased nearly one billion bakery products, edging up by roughly one third from the previous year. The strongest appeal came from rich puff pastries and a variety of ethnic breads, with lavash, pita, and tortillas among the frequent picks. This pattern signals a broadening palate and rising interest in diverse textures and flavors inside the bakery aisles, not just traditional loaves. The data illustrate how assortment breadth meets shifting consumer tastes, fueling continued growth in a category once considered simple comfort fare.
Moscow and the North Caucasus lead bakery purchases, totaling millions of transactions this year; the Black World regions also rank in the top three. The geographic spread highlights how demand for baked goods is strong across different parts of the country, not confined to a single region.
Regional preferences vary by locale. In the Caucasus, wheat bread, puff pastry, and ciabatta are popular, while Moscow shoppers favor meat-filled samsa and cabbage pies. Nationwide, khachapuri with ham and cheese and rye garlic baguettes remain common.
Seasonality drives bakery demand. The start of beach season appears to lift sales rather than suppress them. July and August were the busiest months this year, with more than 270 million bakery products sold in just two months. In contrast, the winter period after the New Year shows softer demand, with January and February 2024 recording about a third fewer sales than the summer peak. The study also notes a preference for sweet pastries. Over the eight months observed, sweet products outpaced savory items by roughly one third, totaling 439 million sweet items versus 340.5 million salty items.