British sushi maker’s £59m Canadian bid

YO! Sushi has bought Canadian food chain Bento Sushi in a deal worth £59m as the British-based firm bids to push in to North America.

YO! Sushi’s partnership with Bento, North America’s second-largest sushi brand, will make it one of the biggest sushi firms outside of Japan, with the two groups having racked up sales of around £175m over the last 12 months.

YO! Sushi has seen a boom as British diners opt for its menu of rice and fish for a healthier alternative to the traditional sandwich.

Robin Rowland, chief executive, said the deal takes YO! ‘into the next stage of its development’.

Known for its Japanese ‘kaiten’ bar that delivers food on a conveyor belt, YO! Sushi opened its first US restaurant last year in Massachusetts, before opening in Manhattan in March. Bento was founded in Toronto in 1996 by Ken Valvur and operates from over 600 locations.