The UK Franchise Growth Index

Crosstown Doughnuts

Crosstown is a British doughnut and coffee brand founded by Adam Wills and JP Then in 2014. Its customer proposition centres on handmade sourdough doughnuts, with a range of fillings, glazes and toppings prepared through its London bakery operation. The brand combines physical retail locations with online ordering, delivery and sales through selected stockists.

More about Crosstown Doughnuts.

The current official website identifies its bakery in Heston, London, and describes doughnuts made fresh each day. The range includes selected vegan products alongside conventional recipes, rather than the entire menu being vegan. The wider offer also extends to ice cream, cookies, drinks and pastries, with individual locations carrying different combinations of products and facilities.

Crosstown's Brick Lane page illustrates the retail format, including indoor seating, coffee, doughnuts and an ice cream scoop bar. Its FAQ also describes supply to independent cafés, restaurants and other retailers. Stores, market stalls, concessions and wholesale stockists are different types of customer access and should not all be counted as separately owned franchise units.

In June 2024, the transaction adviser Interpath announced the sale of Crosstown to Karali Snacks. The announcement described the acquisition of 27 operating locations and the transfer of 140 staff. Those figures relate to the transaction at that time, rather than confirming the current estate. Karali's experience operating other restaurant franchises does not by itself establish that Crosstown offers franchises to third parties.

The research did not verify a current UK Crosstown franchise recruitment programme, territory package, fee or training offer for independent franchise buyers. Published stores, delivery services and wholesale relationships establish an active food brand but are not sufficient evidence of an open franchise opportunity. Any proposed investment under the Crosstown name would need current confirmation of the ownership structure, operating rights and applicable commercial agreement.

At a glance

Crosstown Doughnuts at a glance.

Industry: Food and Drink
Franchise category: Bakery
Sub industry: Bakery
Founded: 2014
Approximate locations: 11
Headquarters: London
BFA member: No
UK origin: Yes
Recruitment status: Inactive

Investment

Franchise investment.

Management franchise: Yes
Retail premises: Yes
Executive franchise: Yes

Visit the website

Investment figures change. Confirm current requirements directly with the franchise network before making any decision.

Five Fibre assessment

How the foundations score.

Every franchise network is assessed across the five connected areas Twine Growth believes support sustainable franchise growth.

How the Five Fibre score is calculated

01 Assess Developing9/20

Assess: The consumer business is clearly implemented and has professional ownership. A current independent UK franchise offer and representative owner earnings were not verified; acquisition by a franchise operator does not establish franchising.

Profitable core business: Partially, 2.5/5. Current shops, production and consumer ordering substantiate an operating business. Current representative independent-owner profit was not verified.

Operates without daily founder input: Yes, 5/5. The acquisition included a management team and operating staff, with corporate backing beyond the original founders. This supports organisational independence, not current franchise eligibility.

Ideal owner defined: No public verification, 0/3. No current primary independent-franchise candidate specification was verified.

Realistic owner earnings: No public verification, 0/4. No current UK franchise-owner earnings model or achieved cohort was verified. Corporate revenue and funding history do not establish owner returns.

Distinct proposition: Partially, 1.5/3. The handcrafted doughnut and gifting brand is defined, but the present ownership opportunity and its differentiation were not established.

02 Build Critical Gap2/20

Build: Central production and a consistent retail brand are visible. Current independent-owner manuals, training, resources and launch entitlements were not verified.

Documented operating playbook: No public verification, 0/5. No current transferable independent-owner operating manual was publicly verified. Central production is not a substitute for an owner playbook.

Structured onboarding: No public verification, 0/4. No current franchise-owner induction or training entitlement was verified. Transferred employees and staff processes concern a different relationship.

Documented brand experience: Partially, 2/4. A common product range, retail presentation and central brand provide partial consistency evidence. A documented current franchise-owner brand standard was not established.

Central resource access: No public verification, 0/3. No complete current independent-owner resource hub was verified.

Launch without constant founder input: No public verification, 0/4. No current system for launching an independent franchise owner without continuous founder input was verified.

03 Launch Critical Gap4.5/20

Launch: A directory labels the brand a franchise, but current primary material focuses on retail, delivery and gifting. A complete ownership proposition and acceptance journey were not established.

Clear ownership proposition: Partially, 2.5/5. A directory presents the brand under a franchise heading, providing limited evidence. Current primary ownership terms were not established.

Targeted recruitment messaging: No public verification, 0/4. No current primary recruitment messaging aimed at independent franchise buyers was verified.

Enquiry journey: Partially, 2/4. General contact and directory routes exist. A dedicated current ownership application and follow-up sequence were not verified.

Pre-acceptance discovery: No public verification, 0/4. No current franchise discovery, financial-validation or acceptance sequence was publicly verified.

Recruitment launch plan: No public verification, 0/3. No current ownership-specific recruitment campaign or market-launch plan was verified. Consumer promotions do not answer this question.

04 Grow Critical Gap0/20

Grow: No current independent-owner recruitment funnel or franchise territory plan was verified. Corporate expansion and the buyer’s other franchises concern different relationships.

Consistent monthly ownership enquiries: No public verification, 0/5. No current consecutive-month series of suitable franchise applicants was verified.

Enquiry sources and prospect quality: No public verification, 0/4. No current ownership recruitment source-quality report was verified.

Enquiry-to-owner conversion: No public verification, 0/4. No dated ownership enquiry-to-agreement cohort was verified.

Next locations or territories: No public verification, 0/3. No current primary franchise territory-release or independent-owner expansion plan was verified.

Founder-independent recruitment: No public verification, 0/4. No current delegated independent-owner recruitment function was verified. Corporate operating capacity is a different capability.

05 Amplify Developing10/20

Amplify: Local discovery, ordering and loyalty provide substantial consumer infrastructure. Current independent franchise-owner access and individual reporting were not verified.

Local customer acquisition support: Partially, 2.5/5. Central consumer campaigns, ordering and brand activity provide acquisition infrastructure. Present entitlements for independent franchisees were not established.

Every owner represented online: Partially, 2/4. Current local stores and other sales points are public. A definitive independent-owner roster and universal owner assets were not verified.

Continuing local marketing plan: Partially, 2/4. A continuing loyalty programme and promotions exist. A current local plan for independent owners was not established.

Individual enquiry and performance tracking: Partially, 1.5/3. Ordering and loyalty systems record consumer activity. Complete individual-franchisee enquiry and commercial reporting was not verified.

Customers beyond personal networks: Partially, 2/4. Public retail, delivery, gifting and events reach consumers beyond personal contacts. Their operation by, or availability to, current independent franchisees was not established.

26/100 Overall Five Fibre score

Five Fibre score: 26/100. Assess 9/20, Build 2/20, Launch 4.5/20, Grow 0/20, Amplify 10/20.

Assessment band: Fragile Foundation.

Crosstown Doughnuts is clearly an active customer-facing brand, but the research did not verify a current independent UK franchise opportunity. Its primary website presents shops, delivery, gifting, events and loyalty rather than an ownership package. A franchise directory uses a franchise heading, which is a reason to investigate rather than sufficient proof of the contractual model. This assessment therefore distinguishes the operating consumer business from the independent-owner relationship recorded in the Index.

The June 2024 transaction is important context. Interpath, which advised on the sale, states that substantially all the business and assets were acquired by Karali Snacks, including operating locations and transferred staff. The buyer’s legal adviser corroborates the transaction. Karali is an experienced franchise operator in other restaurant brands, but a company that operates franchises does not automatically franchise every brand it acquires. Ownership of Crosstown and the availability of Crosstown franchises are separate questions requiring separate evidence.

The transaction figures are also a dated asset perimeter, not a current owner count. The acquired locations included stores, stalls, kiosks, concessions and trucks. The current primary location page similarly includes different types of sales points, including stockists. A supermarket carrying a product is not a franchise owner, and a truck is not necessarily an independent business. The public estate should therefore retain its format and date definitions rather than being converted into a single apparently current franchisee total.

Assess recognises a functioning product and retail model with professional corporate backing. Current independent-owner economics, candidate criteria and commercial terms were not verified. The business’s earlier need for new investment is relevant historical context, but it does not establish current profitability or that every present sales location has the same economics. Equally, a live ordering site does not prove healthy margins. The score is a measure of publicly verifiable franchise foundations and should not be presented as a judgement about the quality of the doughnuts or the capability of the consumer business.

Build has visible consistency in product presentation and central production, but no verified current independent-owner manual, induction or resource hub. A centrally managed retail estate may have substantial internal processes without offering them to third-party owners. Those processes cannot be assumed to create a franchise package. The correct next step is to establish whether there are current franchisees, licensees, concession partners or only company-controlled outlets, then examine the documentation and support appropriate to that actual relationship.

Launch is similarly limited. General contact, consumer marketing and a directory description do not establish a complete ownership proposition or a mutual-discovery process. The research did not verify current owner pricing, screening, financial validation, territory rights or final approval stages. No enquiry was submitted to obtain private information. Public absence is therefore recorded as a verification limit, not proof that private commercial discussions cannot occur. The workbook’s publishing and recruitment status fields remain outside this assessment update.

Grow has no verified independent-owner recruitment measures. Corporate acquisitions, new retail points and product distribution do not establish suitable monthly franchise applicants or enquiry-to-agreement conversion. The buyer’s expertise in operating other franchises may be commercially valuable, but it cannot supply a Crosstown ownership pipeline. If the business does offer independent ownership, a dated authoritative primary page and a current operator roster would provide the essential starting point before numerical expansion performance could be assessed fairly.

Amplify has substantial consumer infrastructure in public local discovery, online ordering, loyalty, gifting and events. These routes reduce reliance on personal contacts and can support repeat purchases across channels. However, the public research did not establish which independent franchise owners, if any, receive those assets or how results are reported to them. A consumer loyalty account records customer activity; it does not demonstrate complete individual-franchisee acquisition and commercial reporting. The partial answers preserve that distinction while recognising the visible customer journey.

The practical priorities are:

1. Confirm the current ownership and operating relationships across shops, concessions, trucks, stockists and any independent partners.

2. Establish whether a current UK franchise offer exists and reconcile directory wording with the authoritative primary position.

3. If franchising is current, verify owner economics, commercial terms, manuals, training and support before promoting them.

4. Keep corporate expansion and product-distribution statistics separate from ownership recruitment and independent-owner counts.

5. Reconcile local assets and reporting with the confirmed operating structure before describing consumer marketing capabilities as franchisee support.

Benchmark

How this network compares.

Overall, against the whole Index

This network26

UK Index average64

Overall, against Food and Drink (179 networks)

This network26

Industry average65

Explore Food and Drink in the UK Franchise Data Explorer

Sources

Research sources.

7 public sources used for this profile

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