Yo! Sushi closes restaurant in Brighton: what is known about the reasons.

According to The Sun: The popular restaurant, known for its family atmosphere and food delivery on conveyor belts, has unexpectedly closed one of its locations.

The restaurant, which gained popularity in the 90s after opening in Soho, London, has closed its doors in the UK.

Yo! Sushi, a chain with over 500 locations across the UK, as well as counters in supermarkets, has closed its restaurant in Brighton.

The first Yo! Sushi restaurant in the country opened in early 1997, causing a huge stir.

According to reports, just a week after opening, people were queuing outside in Soho to get inside.

The establishment, known for its conceptual approach to sushi, closed in Brighton over the past weekend.

Notices about the closure appeared on the windows of Yo! Sushi on Jubilee Street, as reported by The Argus.

No explanations for this decision were provided, except for a notice on the Yo! Sushi website in Brighton stating that the restaurant is now 'permanently closed'.

Discussion of the closure

The news of the restaurant's closure is actively discussed by local residents online.

One person wrote on X: “Sad for the town center. Another empty spot on the high street. It raises wider concerns for businesses today.”

Another user noted on Facebook: “What am I supposed to do now?”

No new tenant for this space has been announced yet.

Overall, food and drink chains have been struggling in recent months as rising living costs have led to a decrease in spending on eating out.

Businesses trying to recover after the pandemic are once again under pressure from rising energy costs and inflation.

• Many chains have suffered losses leading to the closure of well-known brands such as Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny’s.
• In January 2023, Byron Burger went into administration, resulting in the loss of over 200 jobs.
• The Italian chain Prezzo announced plans to close 46 restaurants in April 2024 due to rising energy and food costs, threatening 810 jobs.

The Sun reached out to Yo! Sushi for comment.

Why retailers are closing stores?

EMPTY shops have become a real problem on many British streets and often symbolize the decline of urban centers.

The business editor of The Sun, Ashley Armstrong, explains why so many retailers are closing their doors.

In many cases, retailers are closing stores because they are no longer profitable amid the rise of online shopping.

Declining in-store sales and increasing staffing costs make maintaining shops financially unviable. Some retailers close one store and open a new one at the other end of the street to adapt to changes in the city.

The problem is that when a large store closes, the number of shoppers on the local street drops, putting other stores at risk of closure.

Retail parks are becoming increasingly popular among shoppers who want free parking, especially when local councils are raising parking fees in towns.

Many retailers, including Next and Marks & Spencer, are closing stores in the city center and opening larger stores in retail parks, where business shows better results.

The closure of Yo! Sushi in Brighton, unfortunately, reflects the wider trend in the restaurant industry facing many challenges. In the face of rising prices and competition from online services, restaurants are finding it increasingly difficult to survive, leading to the closure of establishments that may not have been profitable for months. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor developments in this field to understand which businesses can adapt to new conditions and stay afloat.