With the home baking market now worth over £300m, convenience store retailers have a great opportunity to tap into consumers’ need for core essentials that support seasonal bakery moments, as well as last-minute needs.
Pancake Day is fast approaching and, as the single biggest baking occasion in convenience, when sales for the total home baking category outperform even Christmas, it is a great opportunity for retailers to boost revenue with sales of the category +12% vs its average weekly value throughout the year [Circana]. Weekly sales of the home baking category increase 33% during the three weeks leading up to Pancake Day and by 75% during pancake week itself [Circana].
While Pancake Day offers a great short-term opportunity, long-term baking success lies in stocking core baking essentials all year-round, boosting consumer trust. With avid bakers and novices alike often turning to convenience for forgotten items, stocking core products year-round is a great way to build customer trust ensuring bakers know they can turn to your store for last-minute needs.
Back to basics – what exactly to stock
The home baking market is worth £333m [Circana] and continues to perform strongly, with value sales up 9.9% and units up 1.7%. To maximise sales, retailers should stock products across all four baking subcategories: ingredients, coverings, decorations and mixes.
Ingredients account for 40% of value sales [Circana] and include core recipe staples such as bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, vanilla essence, chocolate chips and cocoa powder. These are often items shoppers think they have at home but realise they’ve run out of when starting a recipe, driving top-up missions to convenience stores.
Mixes also perform exceptionally well in convenience. Ideal for last-minute kids’ activities and key seasonal moments such as Halloween, Easter, Christmas and Pancake Day, baking mixes offer an easy entry point for baking novices.
As the UK’s No.1 baking brand [Circana], Dr. Oetker is trusted to drive sales for convenience retailers. Recommended stock for convenience retailers year-round include coverings and decorations, such as cupcake cases, icing, food coluring and sprinkles. These products not only support everyday baking needs but also offer opportunities to drive seasonal sales during key baking events. Clever merchandising, like highlighting red, green, and orange food colouring at Halloween or pastel shades at Easter, can capture shopper attention and boost impulse purchases, making these simple items a powerful tool for increasing basket size.
Capitalise on Pancake Day
Despite 65% of Britons celebrating Pancake Day [YouGov], purchases are often distress-driven and bought in the days leading up to, or on Pancake Day itself, and this is why the event is so important for the convenience channel.
Stocking core baking ranges year-round assures shoppers event-specific baking items are within convenient reach. Dr Oetker, the No.1 baking brand and No.1 in pancakes and waffles [Circana] has recognised this huge opportunity for convenience retailers. The brand has launched its first price-marked pack (PMP) in the baking category with the introduction of Dr. Oetker Classic Pancake Mix. PMPs offer strong on-shelf standout, perfect for convenience.
As traditional pancakes continue to account for the lion’s share of sales, Dr. Oetker’s first PMP offering focuses on its ever-popular classic crêpe. Great for time-pressed shoppers, Dr. Oetker’s Classic Pancake mix is easy to prepare with the addition of just milk to make the perfect pancake.
With over 98% of breakfasts eaten at home [Worldpanel by Numerator], Dr. Oetker’s price-marked Classic Pancake Mix will be available for convenience retailers to stock year-round and is available in wholesalers now ahead of Pancake Day on 17 February 2026.
Merchandising for Pancake Day – top tips
1. Stock core baking ranges – Ensuring stores are equipped with the basics year-round is a recipe for success for any baking occasion. Core baking essentials include: ingredients such as baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, milk chocolate chips; decorations such as food colouring and sprinkles; plus coverings such as chocolate and buttercream. Retailers can expect an uplift in sales during key baking occasions.
2. Stock ready-made pancake mixes – Pancake purchases are often distress-driven with many shoppers forgetting ingredients and needing quick solutions. Dr. Oetker’s Classic Pancake Mix PMP is the perfect solution for convenience retailers with PMPs reassuring shoppers on value and driving purchase.
3. Keep it classic – Classic crêpes dominate the pancake mix category, accounting for 73% of value sales, rising to 84% during the Pancake Day period [Circana]. Retailers should invest in classic mixes and ingredients and toppings associated with crêpe-style pancakes
4. Group products – Consumer preference data shows that the most popular toppings for classic crêpes include lemon & sugar, maple syrup, golden syrup or honey, fresh fruit, and chocolate spreads such as Nutella. To maximise sales during the event, retailers should merchandise pancake mixes and core ingredients such as flour and eggs alongside these key toppings, creating a convenient, visually impactful display that encourages multiple purchases. While many of these products are stocked in convenience stores year-round, simple and strategic product positioning during the event can meaningfully accelerate sales.
With a core baking range available year-round, convenience stores will have a recipe for success on key baking occasions including the channel’s largest – Pancake Day.
To find out more about Dr. Oetker’s selection of ingredients, decorations and mixes, click here.
