Exclusive – Snowfox Group rebrands as the Wonderfield Group, signifies next stage of growth for YO! owner: The Snowfox Group, a multi-channel and international Japanese food business which owns brands including YO!, Panku, Bento and Taiko, has announced that it has become the Wonderfield Group. It said that the new brand identity signifies the next chapter for the business following its acquisition by Zensho, the leading Japanese food group, last summer, in a deal valued at $621m (£494.5m). The Wonderfield Group will consolidate the company’s brands under one name, reflecting the business’ expansion across geographies and brands. The company now consists of multiple market-leading brands including: YO!, Panku and Taiko in the UK; Bento in Canada; Snowfox, Snowfruit, Zenshi and AFC Franchise Corp in the US; Sushi Circle in Germany; SushiTake in Spain; and Sushi Izu in Australia. The company said while maintaining its number one position in Japanese cuisine in several markets, it has diversified into wider food groups such as salads, poke, fruit, bakery, hot food and sandwiches. The Wonderfield Group employs more than 5,500 team members across 16 countries and supplies in excess of 7,000 stores and 9,000 kiosks. Richard Hodgson, Wonderfield Group’s chief executive, said: “Our new Wonderfield Group branding embodies the core values and vision of our company. The transformation is more than a visual update; for us, it signifies the next stage for our business as we bring all of our brands under one roof and move forward as one, consolidated team. We’re incredibly proud of our roots in Japanese food, and we will continue to honour the history of our business, but we are excited about our expansion into new cuisines and new geographies. Since our business was acquired by Zensho last summer, we have made great progress against our strategy, and are delighted to be serving more customers around the globe through more kiosks and through our retail partnerships.” YO! features in the Propel UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, which is an exhaustive guide to the companies offering a food and beverage franchise in the UK and is available exclusively to Premium subscribers. The database is updated every two months and the latest version features 260 businesses. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.