1.1 Presentation and definition of the sushi market in France

Sushi is a dish of Japanese origin based on vinegared rice (the shari) and another ingredient (the neta), most often raw fish. Sushi is regularly accompanied by other ingredients that play a full part in their consumption (ginger, wasabi, sweet or savoury soy sauce). Although their consumption is relatively rare in Japan, the recipe is extremely popular around the world.

There are several types of sushi;

Maki - sushi in the form of a roll wrapped in seaweed
Temaki - the preparation is similar to maki, in the form of a cone
Nigiri - Slice of raw fish laid on an oval-shaped rice ball

Sushi is served mainly in restaurants but as the popularity of this dish increases around the world, it is more and more distributed in supermarkets and hypermarkets, as well as in delivery .

The world market is growing, 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 of Europe. Sushi is one of the most popular fish dishes. While the market was showing very strong growth rates, it seems to be showing some signs of saturation as many restaurant and delivery companies have had to slow down their business. The market is also suffering from the recent increase in fish prices which makes up the sushi (tuna, salmon, shrimp, etc.), due to the fact that production has not kept pace with the level of demand.

However, the distribution in supermarkets and hypermarkets, concentrated around a few players, seems to be doing quite well, with increasing penetration rates.

1.2 A dynamic global market

Sushi is strongly rooted in 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 ****, losing *% of their value (***). [***]

Revenue generated by sushi consumption Japan, ****-****, trillions of yen Source: ****

In ****, it was expected that there ...

1.3 The French market, European leader

Sushi sold in restaurants

The French market is the leading market in terms of sushi consumption in Europe with sales of around *** million euros [***]. The majority of sushi restaurants in France are concentrated in the Ile-de-France region, even though these restaurants have gradually and rather recently expanded to the rest of ...

1.4 The impact of the Covid-19 crisis

The food service sector has suffered greatly from the lockdowns in **** in the fight against Covid-**. The sushi market is no exception to this rule. Nevertheless, sushi has gained popularity in the ordering of meals for delivery, which has vastly helped this market. During the lockdown of March ****, sushi was among ...

2.1 A very popular dish in France

Sushi consumption is a fairly recent phenomenon. Indeed, even though the market has strongly developed in the ****s and especially in the ****s, **% of consumers had started eating sushi less than three years ago, in ****.

When did you start eating sushi? France, ****, in % Source: ****

The reasons that push the French to ...

2.2 An average young, educated and Parisian consumer

While **% of **-** year olds regularly eat sushi, the share is **% for the **-** year olds and only **% for those over **.

Regular sushi consumption by age group France, ****, in % Source: ****

Besides, consumption is mainly concentrated in the Ile de France region (***). There are various reasons for this: among them is the ...

3.1 Raw material prices are unstable

The sushi market is highly dependent on the market for fish, the main raw material. In recent years, the price of these inputs has remained relatively stable. Nevertheless, in **** and ****, the Covid-** crisis in France changed the situation and made the price of tuna and salmon more volatile

The salmon and ...

3.2 Distributed mainly in supermarkets, chains and independent restaurateurs

The main distribution channels for sushi are the Japanese restaurants, independent restaurants offering takeaways, the sushi chains and the supermarkets. The graph below shows that restaurants (***).

Places to buy/consume sushi France, ****, in % Source: ****

The chosen channel differs slightly according to the frequency of consumption of the French. This is particularly ...

3.3 Growing franchised chains

For sushi and fast food chains alike, the ideal model is that of franchising. As explained on the The whole franchise, the overall investment is made up of an entry fee and the purchase of equipment, financed by a personal contribution and a loan. The restaurant then pays several types of ...

3.4 The dynamism of sales in supermarkets and in deliveries

The growth of home delivery

Faced with strong competition in the sushi market, the brands have adapted and have relied on delivery. So much so that Japanese restoration represents **% of the total for home catering (***).

Retailers have focused on developing home delivery platforms such as Uber Eats or Deliveroo but some ...

4.1 Price levels per distribution channel

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

The table below gives orders of ...

4.2 Preferred types of sushi in France

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

Favourite types of sushi for the French France, ****, in % Source: ****

Maki - sushi in the form of ...

5.1 Supervision of the restoration and sale of shushis

The sale of sushi must follow the regulations for the sale of foodstuffs: notably the rules (***) No ***/**** which lays down the hygiene rules to be followed for food of animal origin. [***]

In order to open a sushi restaurant, a number of conditions must be met:

Obtaining a business licence as a ...