Active Partners is excited to announce its investment in the leading international Japanese restaurant group Sticks’n’Sushi, joining specialist food service investors McWin Capital Partners who led the investment. Under the new ownership, Sticks’n’Sushi will bring its exceptional dining experience to many more sushi lovers across Europe, with a particular focus on expansion in the UK, France and central Europe over the next five years.
Founded over 30 years ago in Denmark by Thor Andersen, Kim Rahbek Hansen and Jens Rahbek Hansen, Sticks’n’Sushi was inspired by the founder’s half-Japanese, half-Danish background, creating an outstanding food experience focused on different types of sushi and grilled skewers of meat.
Since then, Sticks’n’Sushi has grown to 27 restaurants across the UK, Denmark and Germany and each location is beautifully designed with a constant dedication to service. The business opened its first restaurant in the UK in 2012 and it is now the group’s largest market in terms of turnover, with its 13th UK restaurant due to open in Richmond in May.
As demand for sushi and Japanese cuisine grows, alongside consumers increasing appetite for experiential and affordable luxury food, Sticks’n’Sushi is perfectly placed to bring its top-quality sushi, sashimi and grilled sticks at an affordable price to consumers everywhere.
Spencer Skinner, Managing Partner at Active Partners said: “Sticks’n’Sushi has built an exceptional brand and a loyal community of customers who love its unique concept, unparalleled food quality and fantastic service. Their collaborative culture, centred around the mantra of ‘Big smiles and small egos’, has been instrumental in propelling their phenomenal success so far. We’re excited to partner with the Sticks’n’Sushi team and McWin as they embark on this exciting next phase of growth.”
Andreas Karlsson, CEO of Sticks’n’Sushi, has been with the group since 2011, overseeing its expansion into the UK before taking over the leadership in 2019. He has over 36 years’ experience in the industry having led the global rollout of Wagamama and will continue to lead Sticks’n’Sushi under its new ownership.
Andreas Karlsson, Sticks’n’Sushi CEO, commented: “Our continued growth is really exciting – we’ve opened a restaurant every year since 2012 and we launched two last year in Shoreditch and Kingston, followed by Richmond this May – which will make it three in nine months. We have identified great locations for several new restaurants in the coming years, and with the support of our new shareholders, we will be able to take advantage of this.”
Henry McGovern, Co-founding Partner at McWin added: “I have been following the success of Sticks’n’Sushi for the last 15 years and their consistent and confident expansion both in and outside of Denmark. We are delighted to join forces with Andreas on the next leg of growth. This brand has a lot of potential and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve!”
