Success in the UK lands an historic result for Sticks'n'Sushi

02 December 2021

The Danish sushi chain Sticks’n’Sushi hits the 500 MM DKK (equivalent to more than £57,000,000) mark in revenue and announces the best result ever. Growth in the UK, employee retention and popular takeaway are among the keys to the record-breaking year.

Since the first restaurant opened in Copenhagen in 1994, the Danes’ taste for sushi and a clear vision for the company made Sticks’n’Sushi Denmark’s most distinctive sushi success, that has since grown beyond its borders. Now the restaurant chain can reveal the highest earnings in its 28 years long history. In 2020/21 Sticks'n'Sushi secured more than 500 MM DKK in revenue and lands a record EBITDA of 51.5 MM DKK. The chain operates twelve restaurants in Denmark, nine locations in the UK and soon three in Germany - and especially the UK market has been crucial to the historic result. The launch of four “delivery kitchens” in the UK has been a key factor.

“We opened our first location in London in March 2012, and we are starting to feel the effects of the hard and persistent work on a fiercely competitive market. Today our British restaurants have overtaken the Danish market in terms of revenue, and I expect it to remain our largest market in 2022,” says Andreas Karlsson, CEO of Sticks’n’Sushi.

The past year has been tumultuous for the restaurant industry, and restaurateurs across Europe were forced to rethink and change their strategy to accommodate new habits and restrictions. Stick'n'Sushi already had a well-developed setup for takeaway, and their exclusive takeaway profile proved to hit home on all markets.

“There were long periods where people weren’t able to visit restaurants, but still wanted a restaurant-like experience. I believe we struck the right balance between taste, aesthetics, and convenience. This has been an important learning for us going forward we will continue developing our takeaway offerings,” says Anders Kjørup, COO of Sticks’n’Sushi.

However, the director underlines that Sticks’n’Sushi is a restaurant before anything else. “I still believe that we provide the best experiences in the restaurants. We will first and foremost be a restaurant that guests visit - with a clear-cut focus on gastronomy, aesthetics, and service,” says Kjørup.


According to CEO Andreas Karlsson, Germany will be the main focus in 2022 with an ambition to both expand and establish the brand further in the German capital. Furthermore, the chain will consolidate their Danish business and keep building on the excellent growth on the UK market.

“We created a strong brand in the UK and in Denmark. It is our ambition to establish the same presence and brand in Berlin. We have opened two restaurants with a third on its way and are actively seeking a fourth and fifth location. Across all three markets we want to strengthen the business, ensure that our products are innovative and further develop our employees who have been crucial for our good results in the past year," says Karlsson, who also highlights the new management as an important reason for success in the past year.