Panera at Home Meets Consumers in Grocery Stores

Starbucks did it. Dunkin' Donuts did it. Now Panera Bread is putting branded consumer packaged products on supermarket shelves.

Panera has high brand recognition and positive associations with tasty, wholesome foods. Known in particular for fresh-baked breads and imaginative soups, Panera has adapted and packaged some of those products for retail grocery distribution, marketed through its Panera at Home division. Above, one of the packaged breads that Panera is selling through major grocery chains such as Stop & Shop.

The idea is to leverage "brand credibility" and expand beyond the restaurants into packaged goods, catering, and delivery. In today's highly competitive fast-casual restaurant industry, additional product/distribution plans are a plus for reaching more consumers and increasing revenues for the long term.

Panera also has been polishing its reputation for healthy foods by removing artificial colors and other "no nos" from its soups, including the packaged soups sold in grocery stores. This process will be complete by the end of 2016.

The firm developed a special video to explain Panera 2.0 (digital initiatives and more) to its employees and other stakeholders. You can view it here.