With modern food trends increasingly causing people to limit their intake of certain food types, products that can guarantee themselves free of less desirable ingredients are seeing an uplift in demand. This in part explains the success of The Eggfree Cake Box, a retail concept which has established itself in a niche market providing egg-free cakes on demand, including celebration cakes within 20 minutes and wedding cakes within 24 hours. The company is now seeking to expand nationwide via franchising.
With the company-owned pilot store established in East London last year now achieving very good in weekly sales, founder Sukh Chamdal has already concluded franchise agreements with six individuals and is seeking a further six to eight by the end of this year. “We originally planned for the product line to target Indian and Muslim customers, who all require eggfree food products, but the demand we’ve received from all demographics has been enormous because our cakes taste so good,” he explains. “There just isn’t that much competition in terms of cake shops on the high street anymore as supermarkets have driven them away. However, our combination of providing cakes that are egg-free, using fresh cream and on demand has really taken off.”
The first franchise owner, Pawan Kumar, has been operating his Ilford-based shop for three months and is projecting a £100,000 turnover for his first year. “I’d previously been a tailor, but saw the egg-free cake concept as a better business