Is Gousto profitable as of 2026?

Yes. Gousto reported FY2024 (calendar year) revenue of £312m and adjusted EBITDA of £42m, up from £26m in 2023, giving a 13.5% EBITDA margin, according to a CEO interview published 2025-09-27.

What is Gousto's current valuation?

Gousto's last confirmed valuation was under £250m after a February 2023 down round that cut its 2022 SoftBank-backed $1.7bn valuation by roughly 80%. CEO Timo Boldt said in September 2025 the company does not need to raise further funding.

Who is Gousto's biggest competitor?

HelloFresh, the German publicly listed meal-kit giant, holds around 50% of the global meal-kit market and operates in 15 to 19 countries as of a March 2024 market report, dwarfing Gousto's UK-focused ~0.2% share of dinner occasions.

Is it safe to take a job at Gousto in 2026?

Mixed signal: Gousto announced in June 2026 it plans to close its Clay Lake, Lincolnshire warehouse, putting about 290 of roughly 600 staff there at risk, while consolidating production into a single automated Warrington/Cheshire site.

Could AI replace what Gousto does?

Gousto's CEO says 80% of chosen recipes now come from its AI-driven personalized menu engine (as of May 2026) and about 40% of customer-service contacts were handled by chatbots as of 2021, but physical fulfilment and cold-chain logistics remain harder to automate away.

Gousto is privately held, trading as SCA Investments Limited, with backers including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Fidelity International, Railpen, Perwyn Private Equity, BGF, Unilever Ventures and MMC Ventures; there is no parent company and no IPO has occurred as of July 2026.

United Kingdom · United Kingdom

Gousto

UK meal-kit company that ships weekly recipe boxes and ingredients direct to homes.

Losing its protection

Assessed 29 July 2026 · Evidence as of 29 July 2026

The structural protection is eroding.

On the recordSince 29 July 2026 · Checkable from H2 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: Clay Lake warehouse closure consultation completes, cutting ~290 jobs

The call

Gousto makes money in a shrunk category, but its valuation reset shows investors already priced in that meal-kits stopped being a growth story.

Gousto sends recipe boxes and ingredients to UK homes. It makes money now (£42 million profit in 2024), but the meal-kit market shrank after COVID ended and isn't growing back. HelloFresh, a much larger global competitor, already owns three other meal-kit brands and could easily push harder in the UK, while supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury's could copy the idea anytime they want. The one thing that could save Gousto's investors is if the company keeps growing at 5 to 10 percent yearly, reaches consistent profit in Ireland, and avoids getting crushed if UK shoppers cut back spending on groceries during hard times.

Why

AI pressure: AI meal-planning apps and chatbots (e.g. ChatGPT-style recipe generators). AI tools that generate recipes and shopping lists could let cooks skip meal-kits entirely, but no customer loss shows up yet. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.

Bigger players: HelloFresh and UK supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Ocado). HelloFresh already runs a bigger meal-kit business globally and in the UK, while supermarkets sell the same dinner-solving convenience without a subscription. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.

What protects it. Gousto is profitable and self-funding, with £42m EBITDA and no need to raise external cash to survive.

What would change this call

Tesco, Sainsbury's or Ocado launches or expands a recipe-box subscription in the UK within 12 months. Would show supermarkets escalating direct competition for Gousto's core customer occasion.
Gousto's FY2025 results (due mid-2026) show revenue growth below the 5-10% guide given in Oct 2025. Would show HelloFresh/supermarket pressure or cost-of-living headwinds are eroding growth.
Clay Lake warehouse closure consultation concludes with confirmed job cuts by end of 2026. Would show Gousto is shrinking capacity, consistent with demand or margin pressure.

Key numbers

FY2024 revenue £312m, up from £309m in 2023 (2024-12-31)
FY2024 EBITDA margin 13.5%, up from 8.3% (2024-12-31)
Valuation cut from $1.7bn to under £250m (2023-02-06)

Named risks

Clay Lake warehouse closure with ~290 jobs at risk amid UK operations consolidation, announced 2026-06-24. Severity: high
No structural moat against 10x-larger HelloFresh or supermarkets entering the meal-kit category. Severity: high
UK cost-of-living pressure and mature, post-pandemic meal-kit category cited as growth headwind (2025-10-22). Severity: medium
Equity valuation still under £250m as of Feb 2023, roughly 80% below 2022 peak, with no confirmed reset upward since. Severity: medium

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
HelloFresh	losing to	HelloFresh holds ~50% of global meal-kit market vs Gousto's ~0.2% UK dinner-occasion share (2024-03-19, 2025-06-30)
UK supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Ocado)	contesting	Gousto states it is competing for share of dinnertime spend against supermarkets (2025-10-22)
Mindful Chef	contesting	Named as direct UK meal-kit rival in comparison coverage (2026-06-24)
Green Chef (HelloFresh brand)	contesting	Listed as competing UK meal-kit option in consumer reviews (2026-02-25)

Questions people ask

Is Gousto profitable as of 2026?: Yes. Gousto reported FY2024 (calendar year) revenue of £312m and adjusted EBITDA of £42m, up from £26m in 2023, giving a 13.5% EBITDA margin, according to a CEO interview published 2025-09-27.
What is Gousto's current valuation?: Gousto's last confirmed valuation was under £250m after a February 2023 down round that cut its 2022 SoftBank-backed $1.7bn valuation by roughly 80%. CEO Timo Boldt said in September 2025 the company does not need to raise further funding.
Who is Gousto's biggest competitor?: HelloFresh, the German publicly listed meal-kit giant, holds around 50% of the global meal-kit market and operates in 15 to 19 countries as of a March 2024 market report, dwarfing Gousto's UK-focused ~0.2% share of dinner occasions.
Is it safe to take a job at Gousto in 2026?: Mixed signal: Gousto announced in June 2026 it plans to close its Clay Lake, Lincolnshire warehouse, putting about 290 of roughly 600 staff there at risk, while consolidating production into a single automated Warrington/Cheshire site.
Could AI replace what Gousto does?: Gousto's CEO says 80% of chosen recipes now come from its AI-driven personalized menu engine (as of May 2026) and about 40% of customer-service contacts were handled by chatbots as of 2021, but physical fulfilment and cold-chain logistics remain harder to automate away.
Who owns Gousto?: Gousto is privately held, trading as SCA Investments Limited, with backers including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Fidelity International, Railpen, Perwyn Private Equity, BGF, Unilever Ventures and MMC Ventures; there is no parent company and no IPO has occurred as of July 2026.

Timeline

2026-06-24Announces closure of Clay Lake, Lincolnshire warehouse, ~290 of ~600 jobs at risk
2026-05-31CEO states 80% of chosen recipes now come from AI-driven personalized menu
2025-10-22Reports H1 2025 revenue £180m, up 11% YoY, targets 5-10% FY growth
2025-09-27CEO interview discloses FY2024 revenue £312m, EBITDA £42m, says no need to raise funds
2025-02-01Launches in Republic of Ireland
2024-07-01Launches in Northern Ireland
2023-02-06Raises ~£50m down round, valuation cut to under £250m, ~80% below 2022 peak
2022-02-24SoftBank leads $230m secondary placing at $1.7bn valuation
2022-01-07Raises $150m including $100m primary from SoftBank Vision Fund 2, valuing Gousto at $1.7bn
2020-11-01Reaches unicorn status, valued over $1bn
2012-04-12Founded by Timo Boldt and James Carter

Revision history

29 July 2026

First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

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