Ole & Steen
Ole & Steen is a premium Danish bakery chain operating 70 retail stores across Denmark and the UK, selling freshly baked bread, pastries, and all-day food to general consumers under Nordic Capital ownership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ole & Steen does
Ole & Steen is a premium Danish bakery and food-service chain operating 70 physical retail stores across Denmark and the United Kingdom, founded in 2016. The company sells freshly baked bread, pastries, and related food products, positioning itself as an 'all-day bakery' concept that serves consumers across all meal occasions rather than only breakfast. Its primary customer segment is retail consumers seeking quality bakery products in a sit-down or grab-and-go format, with operations spanning European markets (Denmark) and a growing UK footprint anchored in London.
The company is wholly owned by Nordic Capital, a Stockholm-based private equity firm that has held the asset since its 2017 funding round alongside co-investor L Catterton Europe. Under CEO Jason Cotta, Ole & Steen operates a retail-led business model generating revenue through in-store sales at company-operated bakery locations, with no publicly disclosed pricing model. Distribution is exclusively through physical storefronts in high-street retail locations, supported by a digital presence via the official website (oleandsteen.co.uk). No technology products, software platforms, or proprietary AI/ML systems are disclosed in the available source material, consistent with the asset's identity as a traditional retail food-service operator rather than a technology-enabled business.
Nordic Capital is currently exploring a potential sale of Ole & Steen, with the transaction reportedly capable of fetching several hundred million euros. This process indicates the asset is being positioned as an established, scaled retail platform with sufficient operating maturity to attract strategic or financial acquirers, rather than a high-growth venture-stage company.
Ole & Steen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ole & Steen
- Legal name
- Ole & Steen
- Website
- https://oleandsteen.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Ole & Steen is a premium Danish bakery chain operating 70 retail stores across Denmark and the UK, selling freshly baked bread, pastries, and all-day food to general consumers under Nordic Capital ownership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ole & Steen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bakery Retail
- NAICS
- Retail Bakeries (311811)
- SIC
- Retail-Food Stores (5400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bread & Pastry Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAC)
Keywords
Where Ole & Steen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Ole & Steen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Ole & Steen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ole & Steen is an all-day Danish bakery chain operating physical retail bakery locations that sell freshly baked bread, pastries, and related food products to consumers. The concept provides bakery items across all meal occasions, combining Danish-inspired recipes and quality with grab-and-go and dine-in service formats.
Product overview
Ole & Steen is an all-day Danish bakery chain. As a retail bakery business, it operates physical bakery locations offering bread, pastries, and related food products. The company is owned by Nordic Capital, a Stockholm-based private equity firm. No specific named product modules, technology products, or software-as-a-service offerings are identified in the available source data.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- All-day Danish bakery offering
Companies that use Ole & Steen
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Ole & Steen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ole & Steen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ole & Steen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gail's Bakery: UK-based premium bakery and all-day dining chain operating ~100+ stores in London and major UK cities. Directly competes with Ole & Steen for premium grab-and-go, bread, and all-day bakery occasions in the same UK geographies.
- Paul UK: French patisserie and bakery café chain with a significant UK retail footprint. Comparable to Ole & Steen as a European-origin specialty bakery chain selling bread, viennoiserie, and café fare to UK consumers.
- Le Pain Quotidien: International all-day bakery-café concept with organic menu and communal dining. Closely matches Ole & Steen's all-day bakery dining positioning and European heritage-led brand identity.
- Joe & The Juice: Danish-origin all-day café and juice bar chain with strong UK and global presence. Comparable to Ole & Steen through shared Danish heritage, premium positioning, and all-day urban consumer targeting.
- Bread Ahead: London-based artisan bakery and baking school with multiple retail locations. Comparable as a premium UK bakery brand competing for the same occasion and consumer wallet.
- St. Peter's Bakery / Lagkagehuset: Danish-origin bakery chain with UK presence offering bread, pastries, and café seating. Closely comparable to Ole & Steen on heritage, product mix, and dual Denmark/UK geographic footprint.
Broad incumbents
- Pret a Manger: Large UK grab-and-go chain with a significant bakery, sandwich, and coffee offering. Overlaps with Ole & Steen's grab-and-go daypart and urban UK consumer base, though at a much broader scale and more mass-market positioning.
- Caffè Nero: UK coffee-led café chain with strong bakery lines and high-street locations. Competes for the same all-day café/bakery occasions as Ole & Steen, though anchored on coffee rather than bakery authenticity.
- Greggs: UK's largest bakery chain with thousands of locations. Represents the mass-market end of the UK bakery spectrum, defining consumer price expectations that premium concepts like Ole & Steen must differentiate above.
- Panera Bread: US all-day bakery-café chain operating at scale with a similar 'bakery + café all day' concept. Useful comparable for format scalability and unit economics benchmarking.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Ole & Steen social profiles
Digital presenceOle & Steen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ole & Steen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ole & Steen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ole & Steen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ole & Steen
What does Ole & Steen do?
Ole & Steen is an all-day Danish bakery chain operating physical retail bakery locations that sell freshly baked bread, pastries, and related food products to consumers. The concept provides bakery items across all meal occasions, combining Danish-inspired recipes and quality with grab-and-go and dine-in service formats.
Is Ole & Steen a public or private company?
Ole & Steen is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Ole & Steen founded?
Ole & Steen was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Ole & Steen based?
Ole & Steen is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are Ole & Steen's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gail's Bakery, Paul UK, Le Pain Quotidien, Joe & The Juice, Bread Ahead and St. Peter's Bakery / Lagkagehuset. Broad incumbents are Pret a Manger, Caffè Nero, Greggs and Panera Bread.
Does Ole & Steen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ole & Steen.
What industry is Ole & Steen in?
Ole & Steen's product category is Bakery Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAGAC, Bread & Pastry Specialty Stores. Its NAICS code is 311811 and its SIC code is 5400.