Turnover soared by 43% to hit £61.2m at Cake Box in the first full year since it acquired sweet treat brand Ambala Foods.
In a trading update for the 52 weeks ended 29 March 2026, the egg-free, fresh cream celebration cake specialist reported that it had maintained strong momentum from the first half into the second.
Excluding the added revenue from the Ambala business, Cake Box sales are expected to reach £46.7m, marking a 12% increase from the £41.9m in FY25. Overall EBITDA is forecasted to leap by 41% to £12.3m with profit said to be in line with market expectations.
The performance comes from a disciplined delivery against the group’s growth strategy, the company noted, including higher-than-expected store openings.
A total of 25 new shops under the Cake Box fascia were unveiled during the period, taking its year-end estate to 276. The company said it was also encouraged by the pace of expansion of Ambala, with 12 franchises added, bringing its total to 34 – 19 of which are company owned.
Interest in franchise opportunities remain strong, with 19 new Cake Box locations already identified towards a target of 25 openings over the new financial year. For Ambala, 10 new sites are in progress out of a target of 15.
Growth was also achieved through its omni-channel offerings. Cake Box’s upgraded CRM platform and enhanced online shop continued to win new customers and deepen engagement. There was also a strong contribution to second-half sales growth from third-party delivery platforms, including Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat. Ongoing investment in digital capability and in-store service has continued to support customer satisfaction, loyalty, and nationwide brand awareness, it added.
Ambala was revealed to have traded a little lower than expected at £14.5m, with management focused upon fixing the operational foundations that underpin the roughly £1m of cost synergies that are to fully come through in FY27. These include aligning key processes, enhancing distribution capability, strengthening organisational structures, and improving the customer proposition through refreshed branding, updated packaging and enhanced in-store presentation.
“We are confident in the resilience of our business model, underpinned by a growing estate, continued investment in technology and a strong pipeline of franchise opportunities,” commented Cake Box co-founder and CEO Sukh Chamdal. “At the same time, the impact of recent geopolitical developments is difficult to predict and we remain mindful of the inflationary risks and challenging consumer backdrop.”
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