Little Bao Boy, which serves an extensive menu of bao buns as well as flavoured fries, flat rice noodle dishes and rice bowls, partnered with Sessions in 2021, enabling it to run pop ups at London venues The Sun & 13 Cantons and The Roundhouse. It later rolled out nationally through Sessions’ delivery kitchen partners with a delivery-first strategy.
To date, Little Bao Boy has delivered more than 340,000 orders with a 431% year-on-year-growth.
Following the successful acquisition, Sessions says it aims to expand the brand further nationally, grow QSR franchising and take Little Bao Boy internationally.
“Having worked with Little Bao Boy for five years, we’re excited to enter this new chapter in our relationship with the team. It’s been a hugely successful partnership so far and we can’t wait to take this brand even further,” says Dan Warne, founder of Sessions.
“We see acquisitions as a continued partnership where we want founders to continue to be involved in their brands - this is a core part of our model. As such, James Ooi, the founder of Little Bao Boy, will maintain a minority holding in the brand to support creative and culinary development and share in the future upside growth delivered through the Sessions platform.
“The acquisition with Little Bao Boy really showcases what we can do at Sessions for food brands that are looking for an exit strategy, and we’re actively looking to acquire additional food brands, whether that’s an existing brand partner, a small food business looking to scale, or a legacy, multi-site operator seeking an exit strategy.”
Little Bao Boy was founded in 2016 by James Ooi in a home kitchen in Leeds. “Our relationship with Sessions so far has been brilliant. As founders, they listen to our stories, uphold our brand guidelines to the highest regard, and always make sure important decisions are signed off by us,” says Ooi.
“The last five years have been hugely exciting for us, taking us from Leeds to a national franchise, and it’s incredible that they have now acquired the brand, offering us an exit from the business, whilst we can continue to have creative input and offer culinary development for Little Bao Boy.”