Pandemic accelerates the market of cake segment

Nov 21, 2020

Bakery items consumption enhanced during this pandemic and this situation has made many big food companies foray into the “sweet and convenient” sub-category of packaged cake segment. For now, the revenue generation from this category is estimated at over Rs. 2,500 crore per annum.

Big food segment players such as Mondelēz-owned Cadbury, ITC Sunfeast, and others have entered into this niche category. And food safety, in-house consumption, and differentiated product offerings as the prime factors for the over 20 percent annum revenue growth of the sub-segment.

The current pandemic has led to some profound shifts in buying patterns and consumer preferences and cakes also produced a higher price realization per unit of raw material consumed. Therefore, it is not surprising that packaged food brands are looking at doubling down on this product category.

A big example of this is ITC Sunfeast that had forayed into the cake segment in 2018 and within two years occupied a 22 percent market share, Sunfeast decided to expand its cakes portfolio and consolidate it under a new sub-brand ‘Sunfeast Caker’, which has been recently launched.

The outlook for the Indian bakery industry seems quite optimistic, with the projected market value likely to surpass $12 billion by 2024, growing at a CAGR of 9.3 percent between 2019 and 2024.