1.1 Presentation and definition of the sushi market in France

Sushi is a dish of Japanese origin based on vinegared rice ( shari) and another ingredient ( neta), most often raw fish. Sushi is often accompanied by other ingredients that play an important role in its consumption (ginger, wasabi, sweet or salty soy sauce).

There are several types of sushi:

Makis - roll-shaped sushi wrapped in seaweed
Temaki - similar to maki, in the form of a cone
Nigiri - a slice of raw fish on an oval-shaped rice ball

Sushi is mainly served in restaurants, but with the popularity of this dish around the world, it is increasingly distributed in supermarkets and delivery.

The global market is growing rapidly, driven by the dynamism of Japanese restaurants in all regions of the world, led by Asia and North America.

The French market is one of the most mature markets in Europe. Sushi is one of the most popular fish dishes, and while the market has shown very strong growth rates, it seems to be showing some signs of saturation as many restaurant and delivery brands have had to slow down their activity.the market also has to face theincrease of the prices of the fish that make up sushi (tuna, salmon and shrimp, etc.) which have been rising for the last few years, as production has not kept pace with the level of demand.

However, the distribution in supermarkets, concentrated around a few players, seems to be doing rather well, showing increasing penetration rates.

1.2 A dynamic global market

Sushi is strongly rooted in the Japanese culture and this is strongly reflected in the revenues generated by sushi restaurants in Japan. Revenues were slightly impacted by the crisis between **** and **** by losing *% of their value(***), relative to an increase of **.*% from ****. Thus, between **** and ****, the market is expected to grow ...

1.3 The French market, European leader

Size of the French market in ****

According to France Snacking's issue **, the Top ** sushi networks in France alone would total *,*** outlets by the end of ****, restaurants and mass-market kiosks combined, for a business volume of €***.** million.

The activity of these ** sushi leaders grew by **% last year, and even by **% compared to ...

1.4 The impact of the Covid-19 crisis

The restaurant sector has suffered greatly from the confinements of the year **** in the fight against Covid-**. The sushi market is thus no exception to this rule. Nonetheless, sushi has gained a significant share of meal delivery orders, providing relief, albeit only partial, to this market. During the March **** containment, sushi ...

1.5 Home delivery and the new dark kitchen concept

The market of"ghost kitchens", more commonly called"dark kitchens" or"ghost kitchens", concerns kitchens essentially turned towards the sale of dishes delivered at home via online applications like Uber Eats, Deliveroo, etc. unlike traditional restaurants, it is therefore impossible to order and take your meal on site. The brands of ...

2.1 A very popular dish in France

We can see in the graph below that almost half of the French sushi consumers have a fairly high frequency of restaurant visits: **% of them go at least once a week.

Frequency of sushi consumption France, ****, % Source: ****

The no less interesting data on home delivery in France shows us the strong ...

2.2 The average consumer profile

The survey below shows the average age of the sushi consumer in France. The **-** years old age group is largely the most representative and represents **% of the total.

average age of the sushi consumer France, ****, % Source: ****

Profession of sushi consumers France, ****, % Source: ****

The consumption of sushi, because of its relatively ...

2.3 Focus on sushi consumption in supermarkets and hypermarkets

General information on the supply of fresh aquatic products to large and medium-sized retailers in France

Household purchases of fresh fish have been decreasing overall for the last fifteen years. French households' purchases of fresh fish have decreased by about **% in volume over the last fifteen years. A more detailed analysis ...

2.4 Trends 2021-2022

According to a study published by Just Eat on the occasion of the International Sushi Day ****, sushi is the *nd most ordered product on the platform in France and the *rd in Europe . [***]

Sushi is also in the Top * of the most consumed products at Uber Eats, with an average basket ...

3.1 Commodity prices are unstable

The sushi market is highly dependent on fish and rice, the main ingredients of sushi. The graphs below, representing the price of Scottish salmon and bluefin tuna, as well as the financial price of rice from **** to ****, show very unstable markets.

Scottish salmon

After a considerable increase in the first month ...

3.2 Distribution mainly between supermarkets, chains and independent restaurant owners

The main distribution channels for sushi are Japanese restaurants, independent take-away restaurants, sushi chains and supermarkets. The graph below shows that restaurants (***).

(***)

Places of purchase/consumption of sushi France, ****, in Source: ****

However, the channel chosen differs slightly according to the frequency of consumption of the French. This can be seen ...

3.3 Growing franchise chains

For sushi chains as well as for fast food chains, the model par excellence is the franchise model. As explained on the website of Toute la franchise, the global investment is composed of an entry fee and the purchase of equipment, financed by a personal contribution and a loan. The restaurant ...

3.4 Focus on the dynamism of sales in supermarkets and on delivery

The organization of products and flows of aquatic products in France

Source: ****

The growth of sales in supermarkets

In ****, there were more than *** sushi kiosks in GMS in France.[***] The penetration rate of sushi sales in superstores has almost doubled in recent years, rising from *.*% in **** to **.*% in ****. This is also ...

4.1 Price levels by distribution channel

The price of sushi varies depending on the distribution channel, the type of sushi and the additional ingredient (***). In addition, restaurants usually offer platters or packages with an assortment of sushi which again increases the price range at which sushi is sold.

The table below gives some orders of magnitude of ...

4.2 The favorite types of sushi in France

There are many types of sushi and it is difficult to evaluate the distribution of sales of each type of product. However, the graph below shows the preferences of the French for each product.

Types of sushi preferred by the French France, ****, in % Source: ****

Makis - roll-shaped sushi wrapped in seaweed Temaki ...

4.3 Focus on the sushi offer in supermarkets and hypermarkets

The sushi offer in supermarkets

The diversity of distribution channels is a major development axis for the sushi market. In addition to physical outlets, many brands have decided to market their Asian products in supermarket kiosks. in order to remove the traditional obstacles to sushi consumption, namely price and safety, sushi ...

4.4 Focus on the nikkei kitchen, a new trend in the offer

After having developed in other parts of the world, such as in large American cities, the trend of "Nikkei cuisine" is taking root in France. To summarize the concept, Nikkei cuisine is a mix between Japanese and Peruvian cuisine, or sometimes more broadly South American cuisine.

This new trend seems to ...

5.1 Supervision of the restoration and sale of shushis

The sale of sushi must follow the regulations for the sale of foodstuffs: in particular, Regulation (***) No. ***/****, which sets out the rules to be followed in terms of hygiene for foodstuffs of animal origin. [***]

To open a sushi restaurant, a number of conditions must be met:

Obtaining an operating license following ...