St Pierre Groupe Named Bakery of the Year in the US

Manchester-based St Pierre Groupe, an international market leader in the bakery sector, has been named US Bakery of the Year, by American publication Snack Food and Wholesale Bakery following another stellar year of growth.

St Pierre Groupe, whose brand portfolio includes St Pierre, Baker Street and Paul Hollywood, has been awarded the prestigious accolade having become “one of the fastest growing bakery brands in the country”, according to Douglas J. Peckenpaugh, Chief Editor of Snack Food and Wholesale Bakery magazine.^[1]

He added: “St Pierre’s products are at a nice intersection of artisan and easily accessible indulgence. They’re artful. And they’re fun. They’re also selling amazingly well. St Pierre Groupe is certainly a bakery company worth keeping an eye on.”^[^2]

St Pierre Groupe Founder, Paul Baker commented: “Having identifieda gap in the US market for high quality European bakery products, the St Pierre brand was launched into America in 2014. The St Pierre brand offers US consumers an authentic taste of European café culture across both sweet and savoury eating occasions. The range, which includes Brioche, Pain Au Chocolat and Croissant, delivers authentic taste and texture, which has been extremely well received in the US Market and will result in us achieving international sales of nearly £50m by the end of 2019.

With the St Pierre brand having generated rapid growth across the US since its arrival in 2014, it now has the distinction of being the fastest growing bakery brand, number one brioche brand and number one European bakery brand in the US.^[3]

Growing international sales by over 150%, founders Paul Baker and Jeremy Gilboy have seen turnover increase for St Pierre Groupe from £16m in 2010 to £69m in 2018. St Pierre’s full range has 85 products listed in over 35,000 stores worldwide. With 60% of its volume in the US, the company’s turnover is forecast to more than double in the next three years, predicted to reach £150m by 2022.

It has also been an outstanding year for St Pierre Groupe, winning accolades such as the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade 2019, and a Top 10 place in the Sunday Times International Track 200 for the third successive year.

St Pierre Groupe’s export success is down to a number of factors, however, it is the St Pierre Groupe team itself that is the main reason why the business succeeds in overseas markets and in the US in particular, where they have recently appointed a US Sales Director East and a US Sales Director West.

Founder Paul Baker explains more: “Our team has a wealth of bakery expertise, and I myself began my career as a baker. We work together seamlessly, like a family, supporting and driving each other and bringing new thinking into the business in order to do things differently. In addition to the strength of our team, our success in America comes from the strong partnerships we have with our suppliers and distributors, as well as a deep understanding of both the US customer andconsumer. All of which I am confident will ensure that we continue to grow our business in the US in the years to come.”

^[1]Douglas J. Peckenpaugh, 2019

^[2]Douglas J. Peckenpaugh, 2019^[3]Nielsen, 2019