YO! to open sushi counters in 50 Tesco stores
The first manned YO! To Go kiosks opened in two trial Tesco Extra sites last year, offering made-to-order sushi, sharing platters, and ready meals of dishes such as chicken katsu curry.
A 25th counter opened, at Tesco Durham Extra, this week and sites have also launched in Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne and Hammersmith as part of a 50-store growth plan.
A range of YO! Branded sauces, seasonings and marinades are also stocked in selected Tesco stores, with crisps and snacks set to follow.
YO! was founded in 1997 and has been backed by private equity firm Mayfair Equity Partners since 2015.
The company has sought to diversify its portfolio in recent years, dropping the ‘sushi’ moniker from its name and moving in to retail.
In the last few months YO! has removed its signature conveyor belt from selected stores to trial a new YO! Kitchen restaurant concept in London and a separate express format in Manchester.
It is now one of the largest sushi companies outside Japan following its acquisition of Canada’s Bento Sushi for £59.2m in 2017, Waitrose supplier Taiko Foods in 2018 and merger with US sushi kiosk business Snowfox this year.
