contents 08 22 28 34 38 44 FEATURES 06 08 22 28 GUIDING THE WAY REVENUE TRENDS LABOR ISSUES PRODUCT TRENDS Bake magazine's 2017 Retail Bakery Operations Study offers many valuable insights into the health of the retail bakery industry and the influential trends that are shaping the future of the business. Fueled by impressive growth in the specialty bakery sector, the retail bakery industry is enjoying 7 percent revenue growth and an annual boost of 3 percent in profit margins. Find out more. What's the No. 1 issue weighing on the minds of today's retail bakery owners? You guessed it. Labor costs and finding skilled labor rank first and second on our study's list of top businessrelated challenges. From individual celebration cakes to breakfast sandwiches and savory hand-held pies, retail bakeries identify their most profitable products and new product success stories that are driving higher sales. COVER IssueNo. No./ /7 Issue 7 The pulse of America's retail bakery business is strong, as evidenced by findings in our 2017 Retail Bakery Operations Study, conducted for bake magazine by Cypress Research Associates, LLC. (page 06) Cover design by Brian Peterman BUSINESS. ACCURACY. KNOWLEDGE. EXECUTION. BUSINESS. ACCURACY. KNOWLEDGE. EXECUTION. 2017 $ retail bakery ope at o s study bakemag.com | JUL 2017 > 05http://www.bakemag.com