YO! Sushi to open first restaurant without conveyor belt

YO! Sushi will open its first restaurant without the company's trademark conveyor belt in Westfield White City in west London this summer.

First revealed in The Times, YO! Sushi said the move would see a push towards the experiential in a large site that is less suited to the conveyor belt model.

The group, which was formed in 1997, is looking to develop additional different offers within its brand to suit a variety of sites.

YO! Sushi is also continuing to rebrand its sites under the shorter name ‘YO!', with other menu items listed alongside sushi on additional signage.

Richard Hodgson, previously of PizzaExpress, was named chief executive of YO! Sushi in November 2017. Hodgson said he would look to "capitalise on the new multi-channel, multi-brand format" when appointed to the role.

YO! Sushi also owns the Bento and Taiko franchises, the acquisition of which made it one of the world's largest sushi operators outside of Japan. It also has agreements to open concessions in Tesco supermarkets and David Lloyd clubs.

Yo! Sushi reports 4% jump in sales with 21% boost to EBITDA>>