Christie & Co brokers sale of Chozen Noodle to Chopstix Group
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co has brokered the sale of Chozen Noodle’s 27-strong portfolio of sites in motorway service areas (MSA) across the UK to Chopstix Group, which owns the UK’s largest Asian quick service restaurant (QSR) brand, Chopstix Noodle Bar.
Building on their strong national MSA presence, the acquisition of these Chozen assets takes Chopstix Group’s portfolio to a total of 53 sites and is an important step in consolidating its position as the largest Asian QSR operator in the UK. The recently announced deal will make the company the second biggest QSR brand on UK roadsides behind Burger King.
The sites are principally managed through franchise agreements with Roadchef and Moto around the UK, with two additional company-owned sites at Extra in Cobham and Beaconsfield.
Chopstix Group managing director Jon Lake said, “We already know from the customer feedback and sales data of our existing MSA sites how well our proposition works in this category of site. With more than 6.3 million people visiting MSA every week, this represents an enormous opportunity and an important strategic acquisition for the business. All sites will continue to trade as Chozen for the foreseeable future and we will work with our franchise partners to determine a longer-term plan for each location.”
Matthew Kirby, founder of Chozen, adds, “I’m extremely proud of the business we have grown, and we’re pleased Chozen will be passing into the safe hands of Jon and the team at Chopstix.
“We instructed Simon Chaplin at Christie & Co to explore the option of selling Chozen last year, and this resulted in a number of parties showing interest. We were keen to secure the long-term future of the Chozen brand and Chopstix offered this opportunity.”
Simon Chaplin, from Christie & Co comments, “We were delighted to be involved in the sale, which gained interest from franchisees seeking to become franchisors of this established brand, as well as new entrants looking for a solid base from which to expand. We are finding more and more establish hospitality entrepreneurs exploring franchising as an option. It brings more certainty, and the support of a brand, which otherwise would take years to establish.”
For further information on this press release, contact:
Bronte Hughes, Corporate Communications Manager
P: 020 7448 8849 or E: bronte.hughes@christie.com
About Chozen Noodle
Chozen is an Authentic Asian food brand that has operated in the UK marketplace since October 2004. Founded by Matthew Kirby and John Dodds the brand was created to offer its customers a fast, flavoursome, and affordable eating experience. In April 2015 CP Foods acquired shares of the business which was consolidated into 2 limited companies CP Chozen Ltd and Chozen Holdings Ltd which have now been sold.
Established in Camden Market in 2002 by entrepreneurs Sam Elia and Menashe Sadik, Chopstix Group comprises Chopstix Noodle Bar, Yangtze and now Chozen. The group’s total number of Asian QSR sites now sits at 127, with 90 venues operating as the Chopstix brand, 27 as Chozen, and ten as Yangtze. The fast-growing group, which opened 26 Chopstix sites last year, comprises locations across the UK and Ireland through a mix of company owned and operated locations and franchise sites, and has long-term ambitions to reach 500 sites.
Chopstix Group, which continues to be supported by Metro Bank, has existing franchise agreements with MSA operators including Applegreen and Welcome Break. Last year, the group launched its first holiday park location in partnership with Haven, and also works with experienced QSR franchisees such as Sparta Foods. This year, the brand plans to roll out further franchise sites at Haven as well as opening a restaurant at Butlin’s Bognor Regis’ new food destination, Skyline Eats. Sadik and Elia said: “Ever since we opened our first franchised site with Applegreen, we’ve known MSAs presented a huge growth opportunity for us. With our best-in-class processes, our business is perfectly suited to the franchise model, so we’re excited to be able to work with first rate franchisees like Roadchef and Moto. We’re looking forward to working together to make these new locations even more successful and profitable in the future.” The acquisition comes as Chopstix Group continues to deliver strong sales across its portfolio. The Chopstix app, launched in summer 2022, has already received more than 150,000 downloads, with app users spending £1 more per transaction than non-users, delivering an 8% increase in average transaction value across the month of December. Chopstix is also available across Deliveroo, Just Eat and UberEats.
