The sushi market - Italy

1.2 Global Market Analysis

Mercato dei ristoranti di sushi  

1.3 The Italian Market

The Italian market for sushi has literally upsurged during the last decade. After an initial general feeling of uncertainty, sushi has proliferated in the Italian panorama, especially because of the variety offered by the Japanese cuisine, both in terms of quality of products and selling points. Despite the fact that lots of people claim the success of sushi being associated with the convenience of all-you-can-eat shops, it became one of the favourite product of Italians also because of the quality of some ingredients used in the preparation. Indeed, nowadays Italian consumers consider sushi as one of the desirable year-round dishes. In ****, sales of sushi increased by *%, and **% of consumers have put it in their shopping carts during the last quarter of the year. Such a positive trend continued also in ****, when the proliferation of sushi corners generated a remarkable increase in the seafood segment, recording a turnover of ***.* million Euros and a CAGR of *.*% [***].

Given that Italians declare to prefer types of sushi prepared with salmon - as we will further explore in *.* - the direct implication of the extremely positive trend described above has been the proliferation of the salmon market in the country. In particular, importations of Norwegian salmon ...

1.4 Covid-19 Impact

Taking into account Covid-** and the Italian market of sushi, it is worth splitting the impact that the pandemic exerted on it into two components: on one hand, the critical effect that it had on restoration, and, on the other hand, the somehow increase in the demand for the product at supermarkets.

It is general knowledge that the health emergency has impacted restaurants and bars dramatically. According to Rapporto Ristorazione FIPE ****, the number of jobs in the sector has decreased by the double of the number of jobs created during the period ****-****, and the number of new activities started in the sector in **** has decreased by **% with respect to the average of other years. Moreover, the crisis has not only impacted the offer, but it also exerted great influence on the demand side. Indeed, consumptions in Italy have become much less sophisticated: a relevant figure to consider is the fact that the total of household food expenditure has covered only **% of the total loss made by restaurants and bars in ****. During the lockdown, Italians have increased their domestic consumptions for food, with the total of household expenditure in the sector increasing at €* billion during ****. However, such an increase has not ...

2.1 Demand Overview

Introducing the main trends related to the demand of sushi in the Italian market, it is worth highlighting the preferences that consumers show in the choice of such products. In particular, their choice is mainly based on the type of fish with which the sushi is produced. The following graph reports the main trends emerging from a study carried out in January ****. 

Preferences in Fish - Sushi Italy, ****, in %. Source: ****

As highlighted before, sushi has literally widespread in the Italian culture, and around **% of Italian consumers declare to be satisfied by the quality of the product purchased. Another relevant trend which is worth highlighting is the fact that, nowadays, supermarket chains are supplying sushi as part of their product lines, and an increasing number of consumers seem to be attracted by this sort of offer. The main rationale behind the introduction of sushi as part of the product line is the fact that, thanks to economies of scale, supermarkets can offer products of good quality at a reasonable price. In this market, quality is one of the key drivers of demand, given by the fact that rotten or not fresh fish can be highly harmful for the organism. Therefore, the frequency ...

2.2 Demand Drivers

The market under analysis can be split into two sub-categories: it includes both the integration of sushi in supermarkets' product lines and the presence of sushi bars and restaurants on the territory.

In particular, dealing with supermarkets, the main driver of demand is the quality-price ratio. Consumers are well aware of the risks implied in the consumption of raw fish, therefore they seem to be reluctant in purchasing such a product if they do not have specific information regarding its origins. For that reason, they prefer relying on the most-known supermarket chains' private brands, which supply accessible products characterized by good quality.

Instead, considering sushi bars and restaurants, it is worth considering how frequently Italian people go out for dinner. Taking into consideration a survey proposed by Groupon [***].

It is possible to summarize the relevance of the main factors that Italians take into consideration when choosing a restaurant in the following chart:

Relevant Factors in the Choice of a Restaurant Italy, ****, in %. Source: ****

Eventually, another relevant driver in the demand for sushi is the consumption of such a product for lunch breaks. On average, both students and workers spend from ** to ** minutes in their lunch break, therefore both the categories highlighted ...

2.3 New Trends in Demand

As pointed out before, the vast majority of consumers seem to be prone to experiment new types of food and dishes. Strictly related to the market of sushi, it is worth mentioning an increasing trend in the proliferation of the so-called fusion cuisine, which can be considered as the combination of different culinary traditions belonging to different cultures, societies, or countries. Therefore, fusion cuisine is not only a mix of ingredients, but also a real consolidation of traditions and history. In this case, the key world is "experimentation": any chef, in any part of the world, can try to match two or more ingredients that are completely heterogeneous among them, with the final aim to find brand new and interesting flavours. Thus, one of the key features of the fusion cuisine is the search for originality, which is meant to find innovative and disrupting way of cooking specific products rooted in different cultures.

Recalling the costumer clusters identified before, **% of Italian people belongs to the category of the so-called experimenters. Hence, it can be easily inferred that Italians appreciate the possibility to choose innovative and intriguing products, creating room for the spreading of fusion restaurants all over the country. The table ...

3.1 Structure and Dynamics of the Market

The Italian market for sushi can be split into three main components:

Sushi restaurants; Sushi corners in hypermarkets and supermarkets; Asian and Fusion restaurants, which also supply sushi to their clients as part of their menu.

In particular, the sushi market in large-scale retail trade appears to be highly concentrated, given that the first two competitors account for **% of sales value. In particular, Sushi Daily has over *** stands in supermarkets and hypermarkets, and has reached ** million Euros in turnover. They are followed by private labels, which have a **.*% share [***]. On the other hand, from the perspective of sushi restaurants and Asian ones, the market seem to be highly fragmented: apart from some multinational branded-franchising, available in all the main Italian cities, the number of sushi chains in the country is pretty high.

3.2 Value Chain

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3.3 Distribution Channels

The spread of the passion for sushi has also impacted the large distribution, which has exploited such a trend to satisfy the disrupting demand for oriental dishes. An always increasing number of supermarket chains is promoting sushi and similar items in their offer, creating proper sushi corners in their buildings, where people have the possibility to talk to experts on such a sort of food to receive advice. In particular, sushi corners offer both ready-to-eat solutions and fresh products. The introduction of sushi and similar products in supermarkets has played a disrupting impact on the distribution channels of such a good, which was only sold at Japanese restaurants beforehand. For instance, Esselunga, one of the most important supermarket chains in Italy, has even developed an own private brand specific for sushi [***].

3.4 Delivery Services

The digital food delivery service is continuing its unstoppable race in Italy, recording a growth of +**% compared to **** and generating a value of *.* billion Euros. Nowadays, it is considered as one of the fundamental services available in the cities, being accessible by the **% of the Italian population. In particular, food delivery services are mainly driven by two factors: on one hand, technological evolution, which allows retailers to count on reliable and captivating apps through which they can present their offer to customers. On the other hand, the pandemic has proved to be a fundamental factor in the development of such a business, rendering delivery food services as essential tools for both people and restaurants.

For instance, on Just Eat, one of the main competitors in the Italian market, in the last year +**% of restaurants have chosen to expand their business and clientele digitally. Today, it counts more than **,*** partner restaurants on the platform, which are active in more than *,*** cities across the country. The main aim of companies like this is to guarantee their customers a unique experience from the moment of ordering to the home delivery of their favourite dishes.

Dealing with the categories of users, Millenials and Generation Z ...

4.1 Typology of the Offer

The offer of sushi involves a series of products, which can be highly heterogeneous and different among them.

Nigiri: directly from Japanese, it means "two fingers". In fact, it features a sliced drapery of raw fish, laid over a cluster of sweet and salty vinegared rice. Very often, Nigiri is prepared with red tuna, salmon, or cod. It is considered as the most traditional type of sushi, due to the purity and simplicity of the ingredients.

Sashimi: from a technical point of view, sashimi should not be considered as a type of sushi, given the fact that it is prepared with raw fish, but it does not include rice of any kind. It is general knowledge that rice is an essential component for sushi. However, some folks use the term Sashimi and Nigiri interchangeably. Specifically, sashimi means "pierced body" and, as the name implies, it is composed only of extremely thin, delicately cut strips of raw meat. Unlikely Nigiri, sashimi is not only confined to fish. Although most restaurants serve sashimi composed of salmon, shrimp, and squid, it may contain other meats, like chicken or horse.

Maki: rolled sushi which can be split into four sub-categories. First, the Futomaki (***) features a ...

4.2 Pricing

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 graph below gives orders of magnitude of sushi prices when sold by a supermarket chain or kiosk (***). The prices of sushi sold in supermarkets are relatively similar.

Average Price of Sushi for Categories Italy, ****, in Euros. Source: ****

On the other hand, taking into consideration the offer supplied by restaurants, it can be split into additional sub-categories. In fact, dealing with sushi, there are many different sorts of restaurants where it is possible to consume such a product, which can be divided into * categories: all-you-can-eat, à la carte, and luxury restaurants. In particular, the former is a special sort of restaurant where, after paying a fixed price (***), the customer can eat whatever they want to order on the menu. The only downside of such an offer is the fact that, in case the customer does not finish everything they have ordered, then they have to pay for that specific dish an additional price. Moreover, the quality of ...

5.1 Regulatory Framework

Considering the market for sushi, it is worth analysing the regulatory framework introduced related to the production process. In particular, the Regulation ***/****/CE and ***/****/CE on food security and hygiene indicate how to use the blast chiller properly. As reported in the former, "if foodstuffs are to be stored or served at a low temperature, they should be cooled as quickly as possible, at the end of the heat treatment or the last stage of preparation if no heat treatment is applied, to a temperature which does not cause a health hazard" [***].

Moreover, with the implementation of Directive **/****, the Italian Ministry for Health outlined a relevant rule for the processing of raw food: in order to eradicate Anisakis, an extremely dangerous parasite contained in fish, raw fish has to be stored at a temperature of -**°C for at least ** hours [***].

Therefore, given the regulatory framework presented above, it is easily understandable that the consumption of raw fish is extremely dangerous for human beings. For such a reason, the unique goal of the legislator is, on one hand, to make consumers aware about it, and, on the other hand, to provide specific requirements aimed at minimizing the probability of incurring in ...

6.1 Segmentation

• Coop
• Conad
• Carrefour Italia
• Esselunga s.p.a
• Sushi Daily - KellyDeli