Mr Bakery Master Business Plan — Break-Even

Break-even at 2,347 units a day against 3,150 planned by Year 5, and what that margin of safety means for the build.

Break-Even

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Break-even output against the Year 5 plan
Figure 18. Break-even output against the Year 5 plan.

Measure

Value

Basis

Variable cost

(61.8% of revenue)

Ingredients, packaging, energy, distribution, maintenance and the variable share of labour

Contribution margin

38.2%

What each additional rand of revenue leaves behind

Fixed cost base, Year 5

R4.64m

Rent, overhead and the fixed share of labour

Break-even revenue

R12.14m

Fixed cost divided by the contribution margin

Break-even output

2 154 units a day

At the Year 5 mix and an average price of R18.42

Margin of safety

31.6%

Against the Year 5 plan of 3 150 units a day

Interest, Year 5

R417’000

Across seven facilities

Break-even revenue including finance cost

R13.23m

The operative measure

Break-even output including finance cost

2 347 units a day

Margin of safety including finance cost

25.5%

Against the Year 5 plan

Plan, Year 1

880 units a day

Well below the Year 5 break-even line

The Year 1 figure is the one to sit with. At 880 units a day the operation is well below the Year 5 break-even line, which is why Year 1 shows an EBITDA loss and why the opening funding must carry it. A bakery is a fixed-cost business: the oven, the rent, the head baker and the vehicle cost the same whether they produce 880 units or 2 200.

15.1 What moves break-even

Change

Effect on break-even output

Comment

Prime cost one point lower

Roughly 60 units a day lower

The most powerful controllable lever

Returns one point lower

Roughly 35 units a day lower

Costs nothing but route discipline

Overhead R100 000 lower

Roughly 75 units a day lower

Also the easiest number to let drift upward

Energy one point higher

Roughly 60 units a day higher

Largely outside management control

Retail share five points higher

Roughly 90 units a day lower

No returns, no distribution, no credit

Average price one per cent higher

Roughly 55 units a day lower

Mix management rather than price increases

Overhead and prime cost dominate. A bakery that holds overhead flat for one additional year while volume grows moves its break-even more than any pricing decision available to it, which is the arithmetic behind the Year 2 gate requiring EBITDA to be positive before the second route is added.