United States - Bakery sales across the United States dipped in March, mainly due to Easter falling later than usual this year.
According to Circana data shared by 210 Analytics, both dollar and unit sales dropped compared to March 2024.
Fresh bakery sales, which include both fixed- and random-weight products, fell 3.3% to $1.6 billion. Unit sales also slipped by 2.7%.
This followed February’s stable performance, where dollar sales were up slightly even as units declined marginally.
Aisle or center-store bakery sales saw even sharper drops. In March, dollar sales fell 4.3% to $2 billion, while units were down 4.5%. These declines followed smaller decreases in February, making March’s fall more noticeable.
Total bakery sales in March declined 3.8% to $3.6 billion, with unit volume down by the same percentage. This continued a downward trend also seen in January and February.
Only two out of thirteen tracked fresh bakery categories grew in both dollars and units—donuts and croissants. Donuts rose 8.3% in sales and 3.8% in units, while croissants were up 11% in dollars and 8.3% in units.
Specialty desserts and pies saw the biggest losses. Specialty desserts dropped 32.4% in dollars and 16.6% in units, while pies were down 20.5% in sales and 11.6% in units.
Sweet goods and morning bakeries saw notable declines. Bread, buns, and rolls also dropped, but less sharply.
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