Japanese restaurant chain Yo! Sushi is reportedly in £51m sale talks with an investment vehicle.

Quilvest - a company originally founded to manage the financial interests for the heirs of Otto Peter Bemberg, the Argentine beer baron - has lodged a final-round offer for the group, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Entrepreneur Simon Woodroffe founded the Yo! Sushi chain in 1997, with a £150,000 investment.

In 2003, he sold a 78% stake to venture capital firm Primary Capital for £6.5m as part of a management buyout led by current chief executive Robin Rowland.

Woodroffe stepped away from the running of the group, although he receives a royalty of 1% of UK turnover in perpetuity.

In the year to 25 November 2007, Yo Sushi! – which has 30 restaurants in the UK and 10 overseas - reported a 42% rise in post-tax profit to £4.3m with like-for-like sales up 6%.

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By Daniel Thomas

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