Semlor – good for industry sales

We Swedes are estimated to eat around 40 million semlors per year. Some believe that this is too low an estimate and that we actually eat even more. According to an article in Dagens Industri from 2017, semlors generate 125 million kronor in stores – just in one day. And sales of yeast, flour and almond paste for home baking reach extra high heights in grocery stores during this time of year. APPLiAnytt asked Patricia Thörnwall, Sales Manager at Ankarsrum Kitchen AB, what Shrove Tuesday means for sales!

But it's not just ingredients that increase their sales during the holiday season. The appliances and household appliances needed for home baking also come into focus during periods such as now during the holiday season and cinnamon bun day later in the year. This is confirmed by Patricia Thörnwall, Sales Manager at Ankarsrum Kitchen AB below in the article. But first, some industry facts about all the household products that are in focus before the semmelbaker.

A strongly growing market

The kitchen helpers that households desperately need to enjoy homemade pastries such as bread rolls are a whole range of the industry's best-selling products:

The entire product category "kitchen appliances/food processors" in all different sizes sold a total of approximately 230,000* units on the Swedish market in 2021. Of these, the smaller kitchen appliances, with < 6 liter capacity, have increased in number the most in 2021 by a whopping 50% compared to 2020. The larger kitchen appliances/assistants with over 6 liter capacity have increased by 12%, but are higher in value than the slightly smaller kitchen appliances. The smallest food processors lost ground by -3 percent over the past year.

Electric mixers for whipping cream for buns: about 370,000* units are sold annually on the Swedish market, and there are also 355,000* hand blenders. Both categories increased by about 20% in 2021 compared to 2020.

Steam ovens are perfect for proving dough and ovens equipped with a steam function are also excellent for baking/baking bread. This segment of ovens with a steam function increased sales by around 30 percent over the past year. Of all built-in ovens sold in Sweden in 2021, 11 percent were already equipped with this relatively new function.

Upswing during the Semmel days?

APPLiAnytt asks Patricia Thörnwall, sales manager at Ankarsrum, the Swedish manufacturer of the classic, larger kitchen appliances, about the significance of fat ice days and other holidays for the sales of these helpers in the kitchen.

”"We especially notice a greater flow to the website and to our recipe pages when there are special holidays and theme days such as Shrove Tuesday and Cinnamon Bun Day. We work hard to ensure that our recipes fit into the season and the prevailing trends. We also see that it is around these holidays that many of our customers post and share their baking joy on social media, which is very fun to see," comments Patricia.

”"And of course, there are many who, with the food processor's bowl, dough knife and rolling pin, feel that they can make a lovely dough for the bottom and top of the semla. And with the balloon whisks for the machine, you get a very nice and fluffy cream, which is perfect for semla," Patricia continues.

Ice cream maker and pizza cutter are requested accessories

”"Today, we sell both via webshops and physical stores. Especially now in recent years when we have been living in a pandemic, sales have increased via the webshop channel. During the pandemic, Ankarsrum, like many others in the industry, has had high growth. In addition to the increasing sales of the food processor itself, we see an increasing demand for our various accessories. The desire to experiment and explore new dishes is great. Over the past six months, we have launched both a baking/pizza steel and an ice cream maker, both of which have been successful. We have all spent an extra amount of time at home with our families and it is fun to bake and cook together. We also feel that our consumers value food made from scratch, which is fun," concludes Patricia.

Kent Oderud, Chairman of APPLiA

*All total market figures are based on market statistics from the APPLiA companies and are calculated into total market figures with respect to the coverage of these statistics.

Photo: Ankarsrum Kitchen AB

APPLiAnytt