UK-based conveyor belt chain YO! Sushi has bought Taiko Foods, a supplier of sushi, Asian foods and dim sum to UK retailers including Waitrose and Costco, The Times reported.
The UK sushi restaurant chain’s deal for Taiko, which until 2013 was part of MCM Foods Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co, adds 220 workers at its Taiko’s west London.
Last year, YO!, which has 97 restaurants worldwide and saw a management buyout in 2015 involving the UK’s Mayfield Equity Partners, purchased Toronto, Canada-based Bento Sushi, that country’s largest sushi brand with 600 units and another 1,700 partner sites.
Bento is North America’s second largest sushi brand, YO! said.
“With YO!’s international restaurant network across Europe, the Middle East and Australia, the combined business becomes one of the largest sushi companies outside Japan, providing an international, multi-brand, multi-channel offering, well placed to benefit from the continuing increase in consumer interest in healthy, provenance-rich foods,” the company said in a release.
“We’ve successfully reinvigorated the business over the last two years to ensure the foundations are in place for long term growth,” YO! CEO Robin Rowland said.
Source: Undercurrent News
After eight years with Nestlé, François-Xavier Roger, executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), has decided to leave the company to pursue new professional challenges, making way for finance boss Anna Manz. Meanwhile, Unilever announced that Graeme Pitkethly, CFO, will retire by the end of May 2024, and the hunt is on for his successor.
International spirits company Bacardi Limited has announced the appointment of Alicia Enciso to its board of directors. Enciso joins with more than 30 years of experience with multinational Fortune 100 Companies in the food and beverage sector with roles as general manager, president, chief marketing officer and e-business officer.
According to Innova Market Insights, when it comes to beverages, consumers are willing to pay more for what they value most, despite rising inflation. Additionally, consumers want brands that respond to their core values and have the benefits they seek, such as sustainability and functional ingredients.