Snowfox rebrands as Wonderfield following sale to Zensho

The Snowfox Group has rebranded as the Wonderfield Group as it hinted at plans to expand into “new cuisines and new geographies”.

 

It comes soon after the group was acquired by Japanese food group Zensho Holdings in June 2023.

 

The Wonderfield Group owns brands such as Yo!, Panku and Taiko in the UK; Bento in Canada; Snowfox, Snowfruit, Zenshi and AFC Franchise Corp in the US; Sushi Circle in Germany; SushiTake in Spain; and Sushi Izu in Australia.

 

The portfolio grew significantly in 2019 after Yo! merged with Snowfox, one of its largest rival Japanese food operation in the US. The wider Snowfox Group was established in 2021.

 

Since its sale to Zensho for £500m last year, the group has solidified its presence in Japanese cuisine and diversified its offering to include salads, poke, baked goods and fruit.

 

It has also raised its customer reach globally through “more kiosks and retail partnerships”, the group added.

 

Yo!, for example, has been leaning into its sushi kiosk business, having opened over 150 of these sites across supermarkets such as Asda and Tesco over the past year.

 

Richard Hodgson, chief executive of Wonderfield Group, who previously led Pizza Express before joining Yo! in 2017, said: “Our new Wonderfield Group branding embodies the core values and vision of our company. The transformation is more than a visual update; for us, it signifies the next stage for our business, as we bring all of our brands under one roof and move forward as one, consolidated team.  

 

“We’re incredibly proud of our roots in Japanese food, and we will continue to honour the history of our business, but we are excited about our expansion into new cuisines and new geographies.”

 

The Wonderfield Group employs over 5,500 team members across 16 countries, supplying over 7,000 stores and 9,000 kiosks.