The annual Gourmet Insider State of the Industry serves up results of an exclusive national survey of independent kitchenware retailers to provide benchmarks against which storeowners can measure their performance.

Conclusions of the 2015 Gourmet Insider State of the Industry are being presented digitally for the first time at HomeWorldBusiness.com as part of a four-part series.

This week’s installment examines Cookware and Bakeware.

Cookware

Cookware this year continues to be a driver in gourmet store sales, said Gourmet Insider State of the Industry survey respondents. More than 75% of store owners put cookware in the top five as far as contribution to gross sales. In a year where more than half of gourmet store owners saw overall sales stay the same or decline, the cookware category continues to provide stable revenue, according to respondents.

Consumers continue to cook at home and are eager to try the latest cooking trends,

so while cookware still has strong sales pull in this channel, what and how shoppers buy cookware can fluctuate. Gone are the days of the cookware set purchase, for example,

as shoppers are more inclined to purchase individual cookware pieces needed for a new recipe, gourmet store owners have said. Savvy retailers demonstrate products and listen when consumers ask for something new. A benefit of being an independent retailer is the ability to cater to customers’ needs, according to survey respondents.

The Millennial consumer, according to the HomeWorld Business® Forecast Survey, is looking for cookware basics, such as frypans and saucepans. Even when setting up new kitchens, the younger consumers are opting for open-stock cookware instead of sets.

Bakeware

Bakeware continues to be a driver for gourmet store sales this year, according to survey respondents. Bakeware showed growth in both sales and space allocation, suggesting it is a category of focus for store owners.

Almost half of the respondents to this year’s survey said bakeware accounts for one of the top three categories in contribution to gross sales, an increase over last year’s results. Store owners are devoting more space to the category this year as well, which could account for some of that sales growth. However, consumers are baking more, retailers have said, which also accounts for the growth.

The key, gourmet store owners have said, is differentiating their bakeware assortments from big box offerings. For example, as cupcakes have gained in popularity and tools for cupcake baking have expanded in specialty and mass retail channels, gourmet stores have already brought in the tools for up and coming trends, such as pastries and bread making.

Millennials, according to this year’s HomeWorld Business Forecast Survey, are looking for basics. 61% said if they were to make a bakeware purchase this year, it would be a cookie sheet, or baking sheet, a flat pan that has many versatile uses.

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