Around 20% of total bakery items eaten out-of-home are purchased form a convenience store or supermarket, with sandwiches and wraps leading the way, according to MCA research.

MCA’s Quarterly Bakery & Sandwich Tracker found that 41% of sandwiches and 30% of wraps are eaten out-of-home are bought from a c-store or supermarket.

The report indicates that total out-of-home bakery occasions has risen 1% to 1.4bn in the third quarter of (Jul-Sep) 2018. Of this, supermarkets and c-stores have a share of 20% - with the figure dropping to 19% for savoury bakery.

Growth in total out-of-home bakery occasions at breakfast and dinner have outweighed the strong decline seen in snacking, the most important day-part for bakery, the report revealed. Levels have stayed flat at lunch, the most popular bakery meal-time.

MCA consumer insight director Gareth Nash said: “Supermarkets and c-stores have a strong hold on sandwich and wrap items, which are considered staples of any food to go offering. However, a significant decline in snacking visits is a cause for concern for retailers and operators. ”

“Breakfast and dinner are great opportunities for retailers and operators to maximise bakery sales, however, with over 532 million occasions in Q3 2018, they cannot take their eye off the huge snacking mission and seek growth opportunities in a declining day-part”.