Cornish Bakery, one of the UK’s leading bakery coffee shop brands, has appointed Tamweel to oversee a sale of the business. Cornish Bakery is a nationwide fast-growing brand with 66 bakeries located across the country.
From humble beginnings in a small fishing village in Cornwall, it subsequently expanded into tourist hotspots – where it now dominates – and has since then successfully moved into high streets, retail outlet centres, motorway services, and event spaces such as the NEC in Birmingham. Its format, combining high-quality baked goods, exceptional coffee, and a people-first culture, has positioned it at the forefront of the fast-growing bakery coffee shop segment – a segment that is forecast to grow at c.9% per year from 2025-2027, driven by increasing consumer demand for premium baked goods alongside top-quality coffee.
Cornish Bakery has seen sustained year-on-year growth, with revenues and site EBITDA for the 12 months to May 2025 expected to reach £37 million and £8.3 million, respectively; alongside like-for-like sales growth of approximately 9% coming from increased spend and volume of transactions.
A recent nationwide survey, commissioned by Cornish Bakery, further highlights the category’s strength, with consumers rating bakery coffee shops significantly higher than traditional coffee chains across areas such as: food quality, speed of service, value for money, staff friendliness, décor, and even coffee quality. Notably, 74% of respondents rated bakery coffee shops >4 out of 5 for food quality, compared to just 42% for traditional coffee chains.
Similar trends appeared in value for money, with bakery coffee shops scoring 51% versus 28% for traditional coffee chains, highlighting their appeal to consumers seeking a more premium yet affordable experience. In addition, when benchmarked against a cohort of leading competitors – Cornish Bakery consistently ranks #1 with its Google review scores.
Under the leadership of Managing Director Mat Finch, Cornish Bakery has continued its strong momentum, reporting 26% revenue growth in the second half of 2024. During this period, it expanded into Nottingham, Taunton, Winchester, Chelmsford, Milton Keynes, and Cirencester – and since 2022 it has opened 18 new bakeries. With eight additional stores set to launch in the coming months and the potential for hundreds of bakeries across UK high streets and transport hubs, the business has a well-established platform for further expansion.
“Cornish Bakery has played a huge part in defining the high growth bakery coffee shop segment, offering customers a next-generation format that is capturing market share from traditional coffee chains,” said Ali Aneizi of Tamweel. “Over the past decade, bakeries have evolved from simply selling bread and pastries to becoming vibrant social hubs, much like coffee shops. This shift has positioned bakeries as the new coffee shops – creating versatile destinations that serve high-quality coffee alongside a premium food range.”
Steve Grocutt, Founder & owner of Cornish Bakery, added: “Cornish Bakery has always been about more than just great coffee and delicious food – it’s about creating spaces where people feel at home and staff love to work. From our first bakery in Cornwall to our nationwide presence today, we’ve stayed true to our vision of bringing high-quality, handcrafted products to every corner of the UK. The brand is in a fantastic position for its next chapter, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built. With the right partner, Cornish Bakery has the potential to go much further, and I’m excited for what’s next.”
Find out more about Cornish Bakery HERE.
