Chopstix Group has acquired competitor Chozen Noodle for an undisclosed sum.
The UK’s largest Asian QSR brand has acquired all 27 of Chozen’s sites in Motorway Service Areas (MSAs), which are principally managed through franchise agreements with Roadchef and Moto, with two additional company-owned sites at Extra MSAs.
Chopstix said the acquisition of the fellow Asian QSR brand will help build on its existing presence within motorway service stations, and doubles its footprint in MSAs to 53 sites, alongside the group’s existing franchise agreements with Applegreen and Welcome Break.
The group’s estate now totals 127 sites – 90 of which operate under the Chopstix brand, 27 as Chozen and 10 as Yangtze. The business opened 26 sites last year has a long-term ambition to reach 500 locations.
Jon Lake, managing director, Chopstix Group, said: “We already know from the customer feedback and sales data of our existing MSA sites how well our proposition works in this category of site.
“With more than 6.3 million people visiting Motorway Service Areas every week, this represents an enormous opportunity and an important strategic acquisition for the business. All sites will continue to trade as Chozen for the foreseeable future and we will work with our franchise partners to determine a longer-term plan for each location.”
Matthew Kirby, founder of Chozen, said: “I’m extremely proud of the business we have grown, and we’re pleased that Chozen will be passing into the safe hands of Jon and the team at Chopstix.”
Chopstix co-founders, Menashe Sadik and Sam Elia, added: “Ever since we opened our first franchised site with Applegreen, we’ve known that Motorway Service Areas presented a huge growth opportunity for us.
“With our best-in-class processes, our business is perfectly suited to the franchise model, so we’re excited to be able to work with first rate franchisees like Roadchef and Moto. We’re looking forward to working together to make these new locations even more successful and profitable in the future.”
