Ollerton-based bakerdays says demand for homemade cake deliveries heats up as they double sales during covid-19 lockdown
An online personalised cake company that began as a cottage industry pioneering the sale of cakes by post has seen its trade more than double during the covid-19 lockdown.
Ollerton-based bakerdays has seen a boom in sales, receiving thousands of orders for its home-delivered cakes.
With restrictions on group celebrations and parties, its letterbox gift cakes have allowed families, friends, and colleagues to remotely celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions.
Increased demand meant the business has had to recruit additional staff and to occupy bigger premises.
Founded by Andrea Guzyova, bakerdays specialises in personalised cakes and cupcakes with delivery to customers’ homes and businesses.
She is confident her company’s triple digit growth will continue as lockdown restrictions are eased.
She plans to expand its range to include person-alised gift hampers and by attracting more clients from the corporate market.
Andrea, originally from Slovakia, said: “While many businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic, we are fortunate to have grown.
“We have tapped into a trend for online parties and functions. People still want to socialise but with social distancing they must be more creative, not just about how they communicate, but about how they share in experiences such as food and drink.”
Andrea started the business through her love of home baking but the success of bakerdays has not been achieved overnight.
After launching the company with her business partner in 2011, it has undergone significant changes.
She said: “We anticipated the growth of food and drink e-commerce several years ago and, while the pandemic has speeded things up, selling cakes online is part of a growing trend.
“We had to think carefully about our products and rigorously test what we think will work well. Given the fragile nature of our products the packaging to protect them and maintaining freshness as well as ease of delivery were critical to our success.”
bakerdays allows buyers to design cakes, cupcakes, and helium balloons and to create bespoke gift sets with their own photos and have them delivered anywhere in the UK and across Europe.
“We’re delighted to be expanding against a tide but remain passionate about ensuring the same premium quality of product, so we’re being careful not to cut any corners,” said Andrea.
“There’s a sense that the lockdown will change people’s shopping behaviour in the longer term.
“In the future we could look back and view this as a turning point in the battle between online and high street shopping and we’re excited to be a part of that.”