YO! rolls out retail sushi range to 160 Co-op stores

YO! is making a further move into retail by extending its partnership with Co-op to 160 stores nationwide.

The deal sees the Japanese food group’s YO! To Go range, including crispy salmon rolls, vegan sushi and chicken katsu bites, rolled out across the country from today (28 October).

It follows a successful trial of the products in Co-op’s London Moorgate store in January.

David Hampton, managing director of retail at YO!, said: “Expanding our partnership with Co-op is another important milestone as we progress our multi-channel, multi brand strategy. "

YO! closed 19 of its 69 loss-making UK restaurants through a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) last month.

The company has pivoted away from its conveyor belt sushi restaurants in recent years, dropping the ‘Sushi’ moniker from its name and making a series of major retail acquisitions.

It bought North America’s Bento Sushi business in 2017 and acquired Waitrose supplier Taiko Foods in 2018. The group merged with US sushi kiosk company SnowFox in 2019, creating the largest Japanese food company outside of Japan.

YO! now sells pre-packaged sushi in 400 UK Sainsbury’s stores and 100 David Lloyd Leisure Centres, while there are now 52 YO! Kiosks in Tesco stores and 30 under its Panku brand in Asda.