Following a promotional push on the idea of a Valentine’s Day breakfast in bed, the Co-operative Group reported that sales of its in-store baked croissants increased 122% compared with 14 February last year.
The organisation also reported sales of its own-brand bacon increasing 295% compared with the same time in 2015.
“We had store managers telling us that people were queuing at the door at 8am on Sunday morning wanting to buy flowers and cards as well as food ingredients like bacon and fresh orange juice for breakfast,” said a spokeswoman. “But it was the croissants that particularly surpassed expectations, with more having to be baked through the morning. Perhaps it was the smell of them in the stores that made more and more people want them.”
In 2016 the Co-operative Group changed its Valentine’s focus to breakfast in bed from the usual dinner-for-two at home – but still reported strong demand for its Truly Irresistible range of flowers. Flower sales were up 65% year on year, with tulips being an unexpected success, having a 260% sales growth over the Valentine’s sales period.
“Tulips are not really a Valentine’s flower, more a spring one, although they sold extremely well for us,” added the spokeswoman.
Croissants: Did you know?
These buttery, flaky, viennoiserie-pastries are named for their well-known crescent shapes. Stories of its origin vary, but some legends say the croissant was invented in Vienna in 1683 to celebrate the defeat of the Ottomans by Christian forces in the siege of the city, as a reference to the crescents on the Ottoman flags – this has led to croissants being banned by some Islamic fundamentalists, including a sharia committee overseeing a rebel-held area of Aleppo.
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