In January, leading brioche brand St Pierre secured new item placement with national retailer Kroger, and has expanded its reach across America with new customer relationships on the East Coast.

Kroger – based in Cincinnati where St Pierre recently opened its first American offices – launched two new St Pierre products on to shelves nationwide in January, St Pierre Seeded Brioche Burger Buns and St Pierre Chocolate & Hazelnut Filled Crepes.

St Pierre’s sales are also up on the East Coast, after the brand secured new distribution with ShopRite Supermarkets Inc. for 36 Wakefern and ShopRite sites across New York and New Jersey. The retail group is now offering a selection of St Pierre’s popular grilling range and breakfast must-haves including St Pierre Brioche Bagels, Brioche Sliced Loaf and All Butter Croissants.

“We have big plans for this year and these latest distribution wins stand put us in a strong position for meeting ambitious targets,” says David Wagstaff, VP North America. “Unit sales for February 2022 are significantly stronger than at the same time last year – which was also a successful period – and that’s testament to the team we have assembled in the past 12 months, to further build the brand in America.”

Last month, St Pierre revealed it has invested $10 million in supply chain infrastructure, securing space to increase in-country stock-holding to ensure full supply in what are currently challenging times for many bakery suppliers. Its average fill rate in 2021 was 98 percent and the brand is set to support its retail partners with new merchandising solutions throughout this year.

“As a brand, we work in collaboration with retailers, investing in merchandising solutions, innovative racks and stand-out fixtures to drive both sales of our own brand, but also footfall to the in-store bakeries of retailers across the country,” Wagstaff says.