Sushi Avenue's supermarket take-out kiosk. The company acquired by Sojitz Corporation operates over 300 of these in more than 20 U.S. states.
Photo: Sojitz Corporation.
Japan’s conglomerate Sojitz Corporation announced the acquisition of Sushi Avenue Inc. a company that operates a supermarket take-out sushi business with more than 300 retail locations in the Midwest and throughout the U.S.
According to the Japanese company, sushi has become a staple of U.S. cuisine, so, through this takeover, it wants to enter the business of that expanding market which, it said, in the United States is characterized by diversified consumer demand.
As said, Sushi Avenue sells freshly prepared take-out sushi in the prepared foods section of supermarkets in more than 20 U.S. states, but, in addition, it has also developed its own private labels tailored to retailers. "The company's strength lies in its flexibility to meet the needs of supermarket retailers and consumers," Sojitz claimed in its release.
The Japanese conglomerate offered another relevant piece of information: The U.S. sushi market has expanded to nearly 1.6 times the size of Japan's sushi market. Sushi has already become a staple of American cuisine with long-standing favorites such as California rolls, and the growing popularity of nigiri sushi is expected to increase demand for a wider variety of quality seafood in the coming years.
Sojitz pointed out another fact that justifies the acquisition. "In the U.S., high-end sushi restaurants previously set the trends, but in recent years sushi consumption has become localized and widespread with sushi offered even at school cafeterias and other casual dining settings." This is important as the company is committed to taking a customer-driven, market-in approach while building its food value chain as a strategic focus area.
The Japanese group has extensive experience in the tuna farming and processing business, as well as in the seafood wholesale business through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Sojitz Foods Corporation. Therefore, in its efforts to strengthen its seafood portfolio, Sojitz has been adding companies to the conglomerate that, while pursuing abroad business expansion, have increased its product development and raw material procurement capabilities both in Japan and overseas.
This is the case of seafood processor Marine Foods, added in March 2022 and which in January 2024, established MF America as a new overseas base to realize the expansion of its abroad seafood wholesale business. Or Sushi-Ten USA Inc. a joint venture of Sojitz together with Royal Holdings Co., Ltd. and Choushimaru Co., Ltd. to capture consumer tastes and preferences through a new sushi business model on the U.S. West Coast.
Now, with the addition of Sushi Avenue to its portfolio, the company will capitalize not only on its ability to supply a wide variety of sushi ingredients but also on consumer trends to propose product and menu offerings that go beyond traditional sushi staples such as tuna and salmon, as well as future product development.
