Cake Box Holdings
Cake Box Holdings plc is a UK AIM-listed franchisor of egg-free fresh cream celebration cakes, operating 260+ stores nationwide. Founded in 2008, it serves general consumers, South Asian communities, and corporate buyers via in-store fresh cake production, e-commerce, and cultural event-driven product lines.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersEnfield, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Cake Box Holdings firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cake Box Holdings
- Legal name
- Cake Box Holdings plc
- Website
- https://eggfreecake.co.uk
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Cake Box Holdings plc is a UK AIM-listed franchisor of egg-free fresh cream celebration cakes, operating 260+ stores nationwide. Founded in 2008, it serves general consumers, South Asian communities, and corporate buyers via in-store fresh cake production, e-commerce, and cultural event-driven product lines.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cake Box Holdings industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Bakery Franchise
- NAICS
- Baked Goods Retailers (445291)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cake Shops & Custom Celebration Cakes (THAFAFAC)
Keywords
Where Cake Box Holdings is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Enfield
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cake Box Holdings business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Franchise Revenue: Revenue generated from franchised store network. The company operates as a franchisor, with franchisees operating individual stores. Revenue was £42.78 million (up 13%) reported in 2025.
- Retail Cake Sales: Direct retail sales of celebration cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, and treats to consumers through franchised stores
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual celebration cakes and products |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cake Box Holdings product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cake Box Holdings plc operates a UK-wide franchise retail estate of over 260 stores selling freshly made egg-free fresh cream celebration cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, treats, and party accessories. All cakes are produced in-store daily by approximately 1,000 cake makers, with extensive customization (photo, logo, and themed designs) and a 1-hour Click & Collect service. The portfolio was expanded in 2025 to include heritage Asian sweets through the Ambala Foods acquisition and a recently launched Dubai Chocolate flavour range.
Product overview
Cake Box Holdings operates a UK-wide franchise estate of over 260 stores selling fresh cream and egg-free celebration cakes and treats. The core product is the Celebration Cakes line, supplemented by Cupcakes, Cheesecakes, Treats, Accessories, and Corporate Orders. A proprietary 1-hour Click & Collect service enables same-day in-store pickup. The company expanded its portfolio in 2025 via the £22 million acquisition of Ambala Foods Limited, a heritage Asian sweets retailer with over 24 UK stores, leading to the Ambala Collaboration product line sold through Cake Box locations. The Dubai Chocolate Range is a recent flavour-line extension and new product launch. All products are made fresh in-store daily by franchisee cake makers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ambala: Heritage Asian sweets retailer acquired by Cake Box Holdings, operating over 24 UK stores independently while also being featured in Cake Box stores through collaboration products.
Products and services
- Celebration Cakes The flagship line of freshly made, egg-free fresh cream celebration cakes sold across multiple sizes, designs, flavours, and occasions for UK consumers ordering through franchised stores or online.
- Cupcakes Individual egg-free fresh cream cupcakes in Birthday, Baby Shower, Chocolate, and Luxe variants, marketed as fully loaded cupcakes and slices for any celebration.
- Cheesecakes Egg-free fresh cream cheesecakes in multiple flavours and seasonal collections, including a Father's Day range, sold to UK consumers.
- Treats Assorted sweet treats including Cookie Cups positioned as fully loaded indulgences for celebrations and marketed as 'Naughty but Nice'.
- Accessories Party accessories including Balloons, Candles, and Toppers sold alongside cakes to complement celebrations.
- Corporate Orders Bespoke cake ordering service enabling businesses to order custom logo cakes and bulk celebratory cakes for corporate events and employee celebrations.
- 1 hr Click & Collect Same-day in-store pickup service allowing customers to order online and collect from a local Cake Box store within one hour.
- Cake Box & Ambala Collaboration Co-branded product line combining Cake Box celebration cakes with Ambala's heritage Asian sweets, sold through Cake Box stores as part of a multi-brand portfolio strategy following the 2025 acquisition.
- Dubai Chocolate Range A recently launched chocolate-flavoured cake collection inspired by Dubai chocolate trends, featuring the Dubai Chocolate Cake and associated Father's Day variants.
Quantifiable outcome
- 13% revenue growth to £42.78 million
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cake Box Holdings
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cake Box Holdings technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Cake Box Holdings partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PR Agency OnecoreAppointed as Cake Box's first structured consumer PR agency to manage press office activities, cultural and seasonal storytelling around Eid, Diwali, and Christmas, influencer engagement, and support for new product launches including the Dubai Chocolate range.
- Ambala Foods LimitedcoreCake Box acquired Ambala, a heritage Asian sweets retailer, for £22 million in 2025. Ambala has over 24 UK stores. Both brands aim to broaden mainstream appeal while maintaining loyalty among existing customers.
- AmbalacoreAmbala products are now available through Cake Box stores as part of the Cake Box & Ambala Collaboration product line.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cake Box Holdings competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Pret a Manger: UK-based food and beverage retailer with a strong cake and sweet-treat offering in addition to sandwiches, competing for urban impulse and click-and-collect occasions.
- Thorntons: Heritage UK chocolate and celebration treats retailer with seasonal gifting focus, an analogous playbook of occasion-driven, in-store-made sweet products.
- Costa Coffee: UK coffee-led food chain selling celebration cakes, cupcakes and sweet treats nationwide, with overlapping distribution and occasion-based cake demand.
- Hotel Chocolat: UK premium gifting and dessert brand selling chocolate-based treats through retail stores and online, competing for the same giftable-occasion wallet share as Cake Box.
- Greggs: UK's largest bakery-on-the-go chain with thousands of own-operated stores, providing mass-market competitive pressure on price-sensitive occasion cake buyers that overlap with Cake Box's lower-tier occasions.
Direct peers
- Patisserie Valerie: UK café-pâtisserie chain selling cakes, pastries and desserts through both retail counters and sit-in locations, directly comparable to Cake Box's celebration cake retail model.
- Ben's Cookies: UK-born, globally franchised cookie and sweet-treat retailer with a similar franchise-plus-retail DNA and occasion-based, made-in-store product positioning.
- Paul UK: French heritage bakery chain with UK stores selling premium breads, viennoiseries and celebration cakes; directly comparable to Cake Box's in-store-made cake-and-pastry retail model.
- Gail's Artisan Bakery: Premium UK artisan bakery and café chain selling breads, pastries and celebration cakes through company-owned stores; competes with Cake Box for mid- and upper-tier celebration occasions.
Emerging players
- Chaiiwala: UK South Asian-inspired café and dessert franchise serving Asian communities, comparable on the cultural-customer overlap that Cake Box targets via Eid and Diwali ranges.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cake Box Holdings social profiles
Digital presenceCake Box Holdings financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cake Box Holdings leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Cake Box Holdings subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Cake Box Holdings funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cake Box Holdings M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cake Box Holdings
What does Cake Box Holdings do?
Cake Box Holdings plc operates a UK-wide franchise retail estate of over 260 stores selling freshly made egg-free fresh cream celebration cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, treats, and party accessories. All cakes are produced in-store daily by approximately 1,000 cake makers, with extensive customization (photo, logo, and themed designs) and a 1-hour Click & Collect service. The portfolio was expanded in 2025 to include heritage Asian sweets through the Ambala Foods acquisition and a recently launched Dubai Chocolate flavour range.
Is Cake Box Holdings a public or private company?
Cake Box Holdings is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Cake Box Holdings founded?
Cake Box Holdings was founded in 2008. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Cake Box Holdings based?
Cake Box Holdings is headquartered in Enfield, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cake Box Holdings make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Franchise Revenue is the primary driver. The others are retail Cake Sales.
Who are Cake Box Holdings's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Pret a Manger, Thorntons, Costa Coffee, Hotel Chocolat and Greggs. Direct peers are Patisserie Valerie, Ben's Cookies, Paul UK and Gail's Artisan Bakery. Chaiiwala is listed as an emerging player.
Does Cake Box Holdings have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cake Box Holdings.
What industry is Cake Box Holdings in?
Cake Box Holdings's product category is Specialty Bakery Franchise. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAFAC, Cake Shops & Custom Celebration Cakes. Its NAICS code is 445291 and its SIC code is 2050.