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Bakers Delight claims sustainability award from BRW

Sarah Stowe

Bakery franchise, Bakers Delight, has been rewarded for its environmentally friendly initiatives, taking out the Sustainable Retailing category of BRW’s Retailer of the Year awards.

General manager Gerry Gerrard credits the award, presented on Wednesday night, to a number of sustainable business practices that the business has introduced over the past few years, especially the introduction of Moffat’s Artisan oven – an oven exclusive to Bakers Delight. Since being introduced in-store two years ago, the Artisan oven has resulted in a 20 percent reduction in the franchise’s electricity expenditure.

“It has a number of different chambers, so rather than being able to bake one thing at a time, you can bake in four, five or six separate chambers and there’s minimal heat loss between each one,” Gerrard told Franchising. “So if one deck is running at 180 degrees and another is at 220 degrees, they don’t just cancel each other out and run at 200.”

The new oven has made a big difference to the business, which according to Gerrard spends approximately $10 million a year on electricity.

Other sustainable practices which Bakers Delight has introduced, and which contributed to the franchise’s success at BRW’s Retailer of the Year awards include:

  • The introduction of LED lighting in stores
  • The sale of enviro-bags made from Calico, of which 5c per bag goes to Clean Up Australia
  • The donation of bread products at the end of each business day to a charity organisation of the franchisee’s choosing.

Another franchise, The Athlete’s Foot, also walked away from the BRW awards, prize in hand. To read more click here.