Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Cake Box secures £7 million funding for Ambala Foods acquisition

Cake Box, which sells fresh cream celebration cakes, placed 3.9m new shares at 180 pence each through Shore Capital Stockbrokers Ltd.

Cake Box secures £7 million funding for Ambala Foods acquisition

Cake Box, which sells fresh cream celebration cakes, placed 3.9m new shares at 180 pence each through Shore Capital Stockbrokers Ltd. (Photo: X/@eggfreecakeuk)

CAKE BOX HOLDINGS PLC has raised £7.0 million through a share offer to partially fund its acquisition of Ambala Foods Ltd, a UK-based Asian sweets manufacturer and retailer.

Cake Box, which sells fresh cream celebration cakes, placed 3.9m new shares at 180 pence each through Shore Capital Stockbrokers Ltd.


The new shares represent 8.9 per cent of the company’s total. AJ Bell reported that Cake Box shares rose 1.6 per cent to 193.00p on Wednesday morning in London.

Of the total amount raised, £210,000 came from Cake Box directors, including £100,000 from CEO Sukh Chamdal.

The company is also offering up to 111,111 new shares at 180p each to retail investors through the BookBuild platform, aiming to raise an additional £200,000.

The remaining purchase amount will be funded through a £15m term loan and existing cash.

Ambala Foods, which has been in operation since 1965, runs 22 stores in the UK and a manufacturing facility in Welwyn Garden City.

It reported a pretax profit of £1.8m on £14.0m in revenue in financial 2023.

Cake Box expects the acquisition to be earnings enhancing and has identified at least £1m in efficiency gains from integrating Ambala’s operations.

The company said it has continued to trade strongly, with Christmas and New Year’s sales exceeding £4m.

It remains confident of meeting market expectations for the financial year ending 31 March.

More For You

Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal recalled that in February, Narendra Modi and Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Trade talks with US moving forward positively, says Indian minister Goyal

INDIA’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that negotiations on the proposed trade agreement between India and the United States, which began in March, are progressing in a positive atmosphere and both sides are satisfied with the discussions.

He recalled that in February, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
Baiju Bhatt

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. (Photo: Getty Images)

Baiju Bhatt named among youngest billionaires in US by Forbes

INDIAN-AMERICAN entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the commission-free trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest billionaires in the United States in the 2025 Forbes 400 list.

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at around USD 6–7 billion (£4.4–5.1 billion), primarily from his roughly 6 per cent ownership in Robinhood.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Economy shows no growth in July amid political turbulence

UK's ECONOMY showed no growth in July, according to official data released on Friday, adding to a difficult week for prime minister Keir Starmer’s government.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic product was flat in July, following a 0.4 per cent rise in June.

Keep ReadingShow less
India’s IT sector

India’s $283 billion IT industry, which contributes more than 7 per cent to the country’s GDP, has for over three decades provided services to major clients including Apple, American Express, Cisco, Citigroup, FedEx and Home Depot.

iStock

India’s IT sector faces uncertainty as US proposes 25 per cent outsourcing tax

INDIA’s IT sector is facing uncertainty as US lawmakers consider a 25 per cent tax on companies using foreign outsourcing services.

Analysts and lawyers said the proposal has led to customers delaying or re-negotiating contracts, raising concerns in India, the world’s largest outsourcing hub.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rachel Reeves

'Our economy isn't broken, but it does feel stuck,' Reeves said, speaking alongside the release of a finance ministry report on business property taxation, known as rates.

Getty Images

Reeves signals possible changes to business property taxes ahead of budget

CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves said on Thursday she is considering changes to business property taxes to support small firms looking to expand, as part of her plans to boost growth.

Reeves’ comments come ahead of her annual budget on November 26, at a time when concerns about possible tax rises and inflation are weighing on businesses and households.

Keep ReadingShow less