YO! Sushi and Carluccio’s to Begin US Expansion in Coming Weeks

15th April 2015

YO! Sushi and Carluccio’s to begin US expansion in coming weeks: YO! Sushi and Carluccio’s will embark on expansion in the US in the coming weeks. YO! Sushi, which operates 86 restaurants world-wide, is to open two sites under franchise in the US this month – it opens on 22 April at Westfield, Garden State Plaza, Paramus, New Jersey and 24 April at University Town Center, Sarasota, Florida.

“The first YO! Sushi restaurant opened in London in 1997, and there are locations now throughout Britain, as well as Ireland, Norway, Denmark and Dubai,” said Vanessa Hall, YO! Sushi’s chief executive. “We realised we were on to a winning formula and that we could replicate the YO! Sushi success story around the world. We’re excited to open in two amazing shopping centres.” The new 1,700-plus square-foot YO! Sushi at UTC will seat 60 guests and the 2,200 square foot YO! Sushi at Westfield Garden State Plaza will seat 75 guests. Along with the first two openings this week, YO! Sushi will in open in Tampa (International Plaza), as well as The Mall at Short Hills, New Jersey, in the autumn of 2015. The new openings represent a fresh start for YO! Sushi in the US after a site in Washington DC’s, under a different franchise partner, closed last year. Meanwhile, Carluccio’s is set for its US debut, opening in Washington DC’s Alexandria Old Town, next month. A job advert states: “We have some amazing employment opportunities at our new restaurant opening this May in Old Town Alexandria.” Carluccio’s has also signed a lease for a 4,559 square foot site at Pike & Rose, a mixed-use development that is opening in phases on Rockville Pike at Montrose Parkway, just outside Washington – this site is expected to open in the autumn. Previously, Carluccio’s chairman Simon Kossoff has said the company aimed to open three initial locations in the region to test out three store styles: two suburban and one more urban. Carluccio’s will also open an eighth site in Dubai at a shopping mall situated within the Arabian ranches community in mid-April, bringing the total to 12 sites across the Middle East. It has also opened its second site in Ireland (at the seaside resort of Glasthule, Dublin) and will open Cardiff (Mermaid Quay), Barnet, London and Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in the next couple of months. Kossoff added: “We are pleased to announce accelerated growth of the business, launching six new sites and expanding both nationally and internationally.”