Thu 9th Jul 2015 - Ask and Zizzi operator confirms deal to buy Coco di Mama Ask and Zizzi operator confirms deal to buy Coco di Mama: Azzurri Group, the operator of ASK Italian and Zizzi, has confirmed it has entered into an agreement to acquire Coco di Mama, the quick-service Italian food and coffee operator. Coco di Mama was founded in 2011 by Jeremy Sanders and Daniel Land. It specialises in fresh, fast and healthy Italian food, including pasta, baguettes, salads and coffee. Coco di Mama has become one of London’s fastest growing quick-service food brands, serving 30,000 customers a week from six stores. Azzurri has 248 sites throughout the country. It stated: “The combination with Coco di Mama is an important step in Azzurri’s ambition to become the UK’s leading specialist in Italian cuisine. Coco di Mama is an exciting brand in the quick-service food sector, an area in which Azzurri does not currently operate. It will enable Coco di Mama to accelerate its growth to cover 40 outlets over the next few years. Its co-founders, Jeremy Sanders and Daniel Land, will remain with the business to execute its growth strategy.” Steve Holmes, chief executive of Azzurri Group, said: “We have watched Coco di Mama’s development from the start and I am delighted that they will be joining Azzurri. It is a very strong brand which has quickly developed an exciting position in the quick-service food sector. It now has a great opportunity to accelerate its development and I very much look forward to working alongside Jeremy and Daniel to achieve this.” Jeremy Sanders and Daniel Land, co-founders of Coco di Mama, added: “We are very proud of what the team at Coco di Mama have achieved since we began in 2011. A partnership with Azzurri marks a new and exciting chapter for the business. We look forward to working with Azzurri, which brings proven expertise and resources in growing and operating successful Italian food brands, and continuing to offer our customers great food, coffee and service.” Azzurri Group operates ASK Italian and Zizzi. Zizzi’s has 136 outlets serving up to 8.5 million customers a year. ASK Italian has 112 outlets serving up to 5.5 million customers a year.