St Pierres is everywhere: How a French-named Sushi chain took over NZ

”Mr Takagi” and Nicholas Katsoulison a recent trip to Japan. (Image: Supplied)

Mon, 28 Apr 2025

Sometime in the early 1990s, armed with the devil-may-care confidence of a 28-year-old, a Lonely Planet guide and a few Japanese lessons, Nicholas Katsoulis found himself in a Tokyo hotel lobby holding a couple of bottles of New Zealand wine. He was waiting to meet Yoshiharu Takagi, an employee of Tokyo Mutual Trading Company, to talk about supplying the small chain of seafood delicatessens he ran with his two brothers, Perry and Costa. Though the risks of returning empty-handed were real, they never crossed his mind. &ldqu...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}