All Wasabi articles
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NewsCapdesia pumped £10.8m into Wasabi last year
Wasabi’s backer Capdesia invested a further £10.8m into the business last year, in order to ensure it could meet its financial obligations and was well placed to invest in future growth post-pandemic.
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Analysis & Insight
Investor view: ‘Huge availability of property’ coming
Investment hunger for food-to-go opportunities will build post-pandemic and focus on category leaders and the strongest operators, MCA’s Food To Go conference has heard.
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Analysis & Insight
Analysis: Clinging to life in the ghost town
London, you may have heard, is a ghost town. In the latest round of borderline dystopian statistics to surface as a result of the pandemic, just 7,000 of the 120,000 workers based in Canary Wharf are back at their desks. And although office workers across the capital may be thrilled to be without the twice daily commuter Hunger Games, for those in hospitality, a few stifling minutes on the Central line is a non-issue if the alternative is unemployment. In the last month alone, city-based to-go brands including Wasabi, Tossed, Pret and most recently Itsu have appointed advisors to assess their options, but whilst, historically, the mention of advisors might ring alarm bells, faced with the current economic climate, it could be time to shed the stigma.
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Capdesia backs Marugame Udon Europe JV
Global noodle brand, Marugame Udon, will launch in London next year as part of a newly formed a joint venture between Shoryu Ramen backer Toridoll Holdings Corporation and Wasabi backer Capdesia Group.
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Wasabi hires KPMG
Wasabi, the Capdesia backed sushi and bento brand, has hired KPMG to negotiate rent cuts, the Sunday Times reports.
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FeedNHS goes nationwide
FeedNHS, the not-for-profit campaign launched by Leon founder John Vincent, has announced that it will be going nationwide next week.
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Steve Gotham: Contrasting coronavirus communications
MCA’s Operator Data Index includes over 350 eating & drinking out chains with five outlets or more. We estimate these businesses generated a combined turnover of almost £27bn in 2019 – quite what this comparative will equate to in 2020 when the coronavirus dust eventually settles is a scary prospect. Many of these businesses have temporarily closed all operations, while a number are gallantly soldiering on with delivery or takeaway from selected locations only. Of those businesses still trading in some form, it is useful to review their online messages on how they are dealing with the coronavirus. Certainly, there are differences in how they are looking to both inform and reassure consumers.
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Deliveroo, Leon, Yard Sale Pizza and Pizza Punks lead the way on NHS fundraisers
Over the weekend, operators including Deliveroo, Leon Yard Sale Pizza and Pizza Punks launched fundraising campaigns to support NHS staff and frontline workers.
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Costa, Domino’s and Pizza Hut mass-distribute to key workers and the vulnerable
Costa, Dominos and Pizza Hut have all launched initiatives to deliver free food and drink to key workers and vulnerable communities.
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Loyalty, promotional planning and driving footfall
To discuss their contrasting approaches to data collection, MCA welcomed digital and marketing leaders from a range of operators for a roundtable discussion, in association with Punchh.
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M&A Review of the Year
It certainly hasn’t been a year in hospitality M&A for the faint hearted, but for those who have stuck with the sector and taken a long-term view, opportunity has knocked. Despite fears of an investor hiatus as a result of lingering uncertainty (ongoing Brexit delays certainly haven’t been helpful to M&A advisors!), the past 12 months has again proved the robustness of the M&A market in this sector, and points to further opportunities for 2020.
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Yo! to trial grab and go concept in Manchester
Yo! is to trial an express format restaurant designed for customers on the go, like a “Japanese version of Leon”, MCA’s sister title Big Hospitality reports.
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Wasabi appoints Birts CEO
Wasabi, the sushi and bento chain, has appointed Henry Birts, formerly of Pizza Hut, as its new CEO.
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Say hello to the newest version of Yo!
When Yo! Sushi arrived in the UK in 1997 it was everything casual dining wants to be in 2019. Colourful, fun, innovative and fresh, it also had entertainment on the side thanks to the novel kaiten conveyor belt that served up plates of food. Remarkably, the novelty hasn’t worn off, even after 22 years. Yo!, which dropped the ‘Sushi’ from its name in September to send a message to the squeamish that it offered more than just raw fish, reported a UK sales hike of 5% to £88.9m in July.
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Yapster raises £2.6m
Yapster, a communications platform for hospitality workers, has raised just over £2.6m as the company looks to deliver on its ambitious growth plans for 2020 and beyond.
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SushiDog widens reach with virtual kitchens
Fusion brand SushiDog has launched a second virtual kitchen, in partnership with Deliveroo and Kitopi, MCA understands.
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Frederic Lluch steps down as MD of Wasabi
Frederic Lluch has stepped down as managing director of Wasabi Sushi & Bento, and leaves the business today (11 July).
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Wasabi secures investment from Capdesia and Sushiro
Private equity firm Capdesia has acquired a minority stake in the 55-strong Wasabi chain.
