Itsu, the Julian Metcalfe-founded, Asian-inspired brand, is to make its debut in the North West in Manchester’s Spinningfields.
The 65-strong group will open at 1 Hardman Boulevard in the city on 27 January.
The company, which is looking to ramp up its regional expansion over the coming 12 months, targeting opening another 10 to 15 sites outside of the capital, is also thought to be close to securing sites in Bath and Nottingham.
In October, the company secured a refinancing package from HSBC worth £40m to fund its national and international expansion plans.
The company said that the new funding, which replaces two previous facilities from HSBC worth more than £20m, would help it “expand aggressively” overseas over the next three years.
Metcalfe, who co-founded Pret A Manger, has previously spoken about following that brands lead in entering the US, with New York and California mooted as possible launch locations. He also said that the group was exploring opportunities in France.
