Frozen bakery and retail bakery as a new architecture of the bread category: economics, technology and management decisions

Abstract

The article examines frozen bakery and retail bakery as key contours of a new bread category architecture in Russia. The purpose of the study is to identify economic, technological and managerial conditions for the transition of bakery enterprises from the model of supplying mass ready-made bread to a segmented portfolio model including frozen semi-finished products, in-store bakery, functional products and B2B supplies for retail chains and HoReCa. The materials include the author's monograph, open statistical and industry sources, corporate data, regulatory documents and expert assessments. The methods include comparative segment analysis, risk matrix analysis, value chain assessment, scenario modeling, OEE analysis and competency mapping. The article shows that frozen bakery is not merely an assortment extension but a change in the business model requiring a cold chain, new technological regulations, digital planning and specialized competencies. Retail bakery is considered as a channel for value redistribution in favor of retailers and simultaneously as an opportunity for a producer to move from the role of a ready-made bread supplier to the role of a B2B partner of an in-store bakery. Managerial tables, control indicators and a roadmap for entering new segments are proposed.