Canstar Blue’s 2019 supermarket bakeries review sees Woolworths, Coles and IGA rated on customer service, value for money, quality of products, layout, freshness of products, deals, variety of products, and overall customer satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Woolworths has received Canstar Blue’s 2019 Supermarket Bakeries award, scoring five stars for its quality of products, layout and presentation, freshness of products, available deals, variety of products, value for money and overall customer satisfaction.
Whether you like to eat a baguette, brioche or bagel for breakfast, your local supermarket bakery will surely have it stocked. With the convenience of being just the next aisle over while you do the rest of your grocery shop, why would you go anywhere else? With 42% of Aussies purchasing something from the bakery every grocery trip according to our recent survey, we thought it was about time to find out which supermarket bakery is cooking up the best range of breads, muffins and the rest.
In Canstar Blue’s inaugural supermarket bakeries review, almost 1,700 shoppers were asked about their experiences buying bakery items from their local store of choice, with their collective feedback forming our 2019 customer satisfaction ratings. Survey respondents were asked to score the supermarket bakery they most recently purchased from across a range of factors relating to customer service, store layout & presentation, the quality of their products, as well as the variety and freshness, value for money, special deals and overall satisfaction.
The review saw Coles, Woolworths and IGA do battle for the title of top-rated supermarket bakery, with the Fresh Food People emerging victorious, scoring five stars in every research category except value for money.
Canstar Blue’s inaugural supermarket bakeries review saw three chains compared and rated in the following order for overall customer satisfaction:
Coles received four stars for overall satisfaction, while IGA was left with three stars. While Woolworths earned five stars in most areas, Coles also got top marks for value for money, as well as for the quality, freshness and variety of its products.
Alongside finding out which supermarket bakery Aussies love best, we also wanted to get an insight into what consumers are putting in their shopping trolleys. When it comes to the types of items Aussies most recently bought from a supermarket bakery, survey respondents reported:
While it’s no surprise that bread was the most purchased item from the bakery section, it seems that a few of us can’t resist treating ourselves to some baked goods. From our research, almost half (47%) of Aussies have tried multiple supermarket bakery breads, with 50% of all respondents preferring bakery bread over packaged bread, and 29% mainly buying speciality breads such as sourdough or tiger bread.
While your first decision when it comes to buying bread is choosing between multigrain, wholemeal or white, you’ll also have to think about what type of slice you want, if you want it sliced at all! We asked our survey respondents about their preference when it comes to getting a slice, with the results below:
With most packaged bread typically sliced thin, it’s not surprising that when consumers get their bread from the bakery, they opt for a thicker slice.
Woolworths has close to 1,000 locations around Australia, allowing you plenty of options if you’re looking to pick up tasty treats or specialty breads, with its range featuring foods such as tarts, bread, cakes, as well as sweet treats including profiteroles and pinwheels. You’ll also find different types of breads from wholemeal to grain, to four seed loaves, with options available for those after high fibre, soy-free or vegan options.
With more than 800 stores across the country, Coles is likely to have you sorted no matter what you’re after. Its bakery section includes cakes, tarts, breads, pastries, bagels, pitas, flat breads and much more. Coles also provides options for shoppers with specific dietary requirements, including vegetarian, GMO, dairy, egg, gluten and yeast free options.
The Independent Grocers of Australia have more than 1,400 locations across Australia, featuring both small corner shops and sprawling supermarkets. Its bakery section features all of your favourite breads, as well as bagels, French bread and muffins, not to mention numerous sweet treats depending on your cravings!
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Lead, Megan Birot. She’s an expert on household appliances, health & beauty products, as well as all things grocery and shopping. When she’s not writing up our research-based ratings reports, Megan spends her time helping consumers make better purchase decisions, whether it’s at the supermarket, other retailers, or online, highlighting the best deals and flagging anything you need to be aware of.
Picture credits: SeventyFour/shutterstock.com, LightField Studios/shutterstock.com, Oksana.Bondar/shutterstock.com
Canstar Blue surveyed 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have made a purchase from a retail supermarket bakery (i.e. fresh bread section) in the last 1 month (this refers to physical stores, not online ones) – in this case, 1,693 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.