Sainsbury’s in talks over Yo! Sushi bars

Sainsbury’s is considering launching sushi bars in supermarkets as part of a move to take on runaway rivals Tesco and Asda.

The struggling chain, which last week sacked managing director David Bremner and stores director Kevin McCarten as part of a top-level shake-up, is attempting to revive sales by devoting more space to non-core services and non-food ranges.

Sainsbury’s is considering opening Yo! Sushi-branded bars, the trendy restaurant chain, in its store to complement the 12-product, co-branded sushi range Yo! To Go – launched exclusively at Sainsbury’s this week.

Yo! Sushi managing director Simon Woodroffe says: “We are not announcing anything at the moment, but it could happen. Discussions are in the early stages.”

Woodroffe says the Yo! To Go range, which is to be expanded in coming months, may be sold using a scaled-down version of the conveyor belt-style merchandising found in Yo! Sushi outlets. The deal with Yo! Sushi, which marks the first occasion that Sainsbury’s has launched a co-branded food range, is part of a plan to catch up with rivals after critics accused the chain of being too slow in reacting to trends.