Itsu Explained

itsu
Type:Private
Industry:Fast casual restaurant
Foundation:1997
Founder:Julian Metcalfe
Location:London, England, UK
Locations:77[1]
Key People:Clive Schlee
Products:Food
Num Employees:852 (2020)[2]

itsu (いつ/itsu is Japanese for when) is a British chain of East Asian-inspired fast food shops and restaurants and a grocery company.[3] The company offers franchises.[4]

History

The chain was founded by Julian Metcalfe, co-founder of sandwich chain Pret a Manger, in partnership with Clive Schlee.[5]

In 2006, following the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, traces of the deadly isotope Polonium-210 were found at the Piccadilly branch of Itsu in London, where Litvinenko had dined on the day he was poisoned.[6] [7]

Outlets and expansion

The first itsu restaurant opened in Chelsea, London in 1997. In September 2013, itsu opened its first restaurant outside London, in Oxford.[8]

In January 2016, itsu opened its first Northern England restaurant, in Spinningfields, central Manchester.[9] The chain later opened a branch in Leeds.

itsu had 76 restaurants in England, including 54 in London (44 in February 2023), and one in Brussels Airport, Belgium.[10]

In June 2018, the company opened a branch in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, US.[11] In February 2023 itsu's Web site listed Brussels and Paris as the only non-UK locations; the US Web page was dead.

itsu [grocery]

In March 2012, Metcalfe's Food Company, run by Robert Jakobi, launched the itsu brand into retail[12] under the name itsu [grocery].

Partnerships

In January 2014, itsu became the official partner of the Volleyball England Beach Tour,[13] but was not listed on the UKBT Web site as of 2021.[14]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: itsu story . 2022-07-04 . itsu . en-GB . 11 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220711100056/https://www.itsu.com/itsustory/ . live .
  2. Web site: Annual report and financial statements for the period ended 31 December 2020 . . itsu Limited . 8 June 2022 . 34 . 4 Mar 2022 . PDF.
  3. Moules, Jonathan. "itsu founder nurtures a new generation", Financial Times, London, 21 January 2014. Retrieved on 21 January 2014.
  4. Web site: franchising . itsu . 5 April 2022 . 26 February 2023 . 26 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230226231949/https://www.itsu.com/franchising/ . live .
  5. News: Smithers . Rebecca . 8 October 2010 . Pret A Manger chief is stacking up healthy profits in lean times . The Guardian . London . 24 April 2013 . 4 November 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131104210714/http://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/oct/08/clive-schlee-pret-a-manger-interview . live .
  6. News: Alexander Litvinenko and the most radioactive towel in history. Harding. Luke. 6 March 2016. The Guardian. en-GB. 0261-3077. 21 July 2023.
  7. News: Litvinenko's associate 'in a coma' as spy murder mystery deepens . The Independent . 8 December 2006. 21 July 2023. London . Cahal . Milmo . Andrew . Osborn . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070108191538/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article2055590.ece . 8 January 2007. dmy-all.
  8. News: 5 Sep 2013 . £1m itsu restaurant to open in Oxford . en . . 8 June 2022 . 11 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191111231450/https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/10654522.1m-itsu-restaurant-to-open-in-oxford/ . live .
  9. News: Shelina Begum . 10 December 2015 . itsu picks Spinningfields for Manchester opening . . 18 January 2016 . 4 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180704204450/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/itsu-picks-spinningfields-manchester-opening-10577025 . live .
  10. Web site: itsu locations . 2022-07-04 . itsu . en-GB . 11 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220711100108/https://www.itsu.com/locations/ . live .
  11. News: Dai . Serena . 4 June 2018 . Pret Founder's Asian Grab-and-Go Chain itsu Just Dropped Into Midtown . en . . 8 June 2022 . 17 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220517232839/https://ny.eater.com/2018/6/4/17425238/itsu-nyc-midtown-open-chain-pret . live .
  12. Vince Bamford, "itsu to target retailers with new Asian snacks" The Grocer, June 2011
  13. Charlotte Edwardes, "Mr itsu: Julian Metcalfe on beautiful lean cuisine, why he loves London's hard-working immigrants and his noisy troupe of children and steps, "London Evening Standard", 3 February 2014
  14. Web site: UKBT Partners. UK Beach Tour . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210902160850/https://www.ukbeachtour.com/partners. 2 September 2021. 26 February 2023.

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