SUSHIRO opens its first store in East China. “SUSHIRO Suzhou Main Store” opens on Tuesday, December 24th ~Delivering the deliciousness of Japanese sushi to the world~

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FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES LTD. (Headquarters: Suita City, Osaka Prefecture; President and CEO: Masahiro Yamamoto; hereinafter referred to as “F&LC”) continues to expand its overseas business in order to realize its VISION: “Discovering new tastiness, Sharing moments of joy.” We are pleased to announce that on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, we opened the “SUSHIRO Suzhou Main Store,” our first store in the East China region of mainland China. We are committed to recreating and delivering the “taste,” “fun,” and “value beyond price” of Sushiro, which we have refined in Japan, and will work with local staff to create a store that will please as many customers as possible in the East China region.

On the opening dayStatus and after about a month

On the day, a commemorative ceremony was held in front of the store, with many customers watching. After the representative’s speech, a lion dance show was held and guests took to the stage. F&LC Executive Officer (International Business, Greater China Region) Kazuo Aratani and General Manager of Beijing Sushiro Catering Co., Ltd., a local subsidiary, attended the ceremony. In his opening speech, Matsuda stated his aspirations as follows: “Sushiro has a history of more than 40 years since its founding in Japan and has been ranked number one in annual sales in the Japanese kaiten sushi industry for 13 consecutive years (※). All of our employees will work hard to deliver our mission of ‘Tasty sushi for all. Tasty sushi for the heart.’ We will provide sushi of the same quality as Sushiro in Japan, focusing on the quality and freshness of our ingredients.” Finally, the store manager and seven employees declared the opening of the store, welcoming customers and taking their first steps in the East China region of mainland China.

The store was crowded with many customers from the first day, and more than 190 reservations were made immediately after the opening. Customers praised the deliciousness of the sushi, the freshness of the ingredients, the fun of “Digiro (Digital SushiroVision),” and the official mascot “Dakkosushi.” In addition, customers expressed their joy by saying, “I’ve been waiting forever for Sushiro to come to Suzhou,” and the store was filled with the smiles of customers.

Even about one month after opening, the store is still bustling with customers, with over 150 groups of customers waiting at peak times on weekends. We believe that the reasons for this success are the “deliciousness” that Sushiro provides, the commitment to the quality of its ingredients and in-store cooking that supports it, as well as its convenient location, all of which are being well received by customers in Suzhou.

Left: Exterior of “SUSHIRO Suzhou Central Store”　Right: A line of customers waiting to enter the store on opening day

The history of opening a store in Suzhou and the store’s unique operations

Sushiro opened its first store in mainland China in 2021. Starting in Guangzhou in southern China, the company has expanded to Shenzhen, Chengdu, Beijing, and then northward. Now, it has opened its first store in Suzhou, a city in eastern China.

Suzhou is a city that has flourished as a commercial and cultural center since ancient times. Even today, in addition to its appeal as a tourist destination, it has also developed as a business town, attracting many companies from both Japan and abroad. This time, we decided to open a store in the Suzhou Industrial Park, an economic development zone, after coming across a large complex that is expected to attract a wide range of customers. First of all, we will do our utmost to make this first store a store that is loved by customers in Suzhou, and we plan to consider future developments while listening to customer feedback.

The first Suzhou store will be operated in the same way as other overseas stores, with a focus on recreating the Japanese Sushiro. In terms of “tastiness,” F&LC will use its global food procurement capabilities to source high-quality ingredients from around the world, and bring out the flavor through the extra effort of cooking in-store before serving customers. In addition, to allow customers to experience the “fun of kaiten sushi,” the store will introduce “Digiro (Digital SushiroVision),” the latest model of Sushiro in Japan that combines a digital vision and a kaiten lane. The cutting-edge digital technology expresses innovation and entertainment (as of December 24, the number of stores that have Digiro installed is 44 in Japan and 7 overseas). In addition, following the Beijing store, private rooms have been installed to accommodate the dining culture of large groups such as families and business use. By providing these experiences at an affordable price that can be enjoyed on a daily basis, we hope to bring joy and smiles to our customers.

Accelerating overseas expansion of F&LC

F&LC’s overseas business began in 2011. It has been expanding steadily, with 38 stores at the end of the fiscal year ending September 2020, 135 stores at the end of the fiscal year ending September 2023, and 182 stores at the end of the fiscal year ending September 2024. The company operates kaiten sushi restaurant “Sushiro” in seven countries and regions (Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, mainland China, and Indonesia) and popular sushi izakaya “Sugidama” in two countries and regions (Hong Kong and the United States). In addition, at the “Expo 2020 Dubai,” Sushiro opened a limited-time store as the only restaurant operator in the Japan Pavilion, which garnered high interest and acclaim from customers around the world. In addition, the company has decided to open a “SUSHIRO To The Future: Expo Edition” at the “Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan” to be held this year.

When Sushiro opens stores overseas, it is important to deliver the delicious sushi of Japan’s Sushiro to customers around the world in its original form, and we are committed to “direct management” of stores, menu composition, pricing, in-store cooking, utilization of technology, hygiene management, and human resource development. To achieve this, employees with on-the-job experience in Japan are assigned to each country and region to directly manage the stores, and together with local staff, they have been recognized for recreating the Sushiro of Japan, expanding the area of stores and growing.

In the “FY24-26 Medium-term Management Plan,” the first priority is to continue expanding our overseas business. Currently, in mainland China, we are promoting business by formulating strategies for each base while assessing changes in the environment, and we would like to continue expanding by steadily opening new stores, focusing on areas where growth is expected. We are also preparing to open Sushiro stores in new countries and regions such as Malaysia and the United States.

■Store Overview

Store name: SUSHIRO Suzhou Center Store
Location: 6th floor, North District, Suzhou Center Shopping Center, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province
Opening: Tuesday, December 24, 2024, 11:30 (Suzhou time)
Business hours: Monday to Friday 11:00-22:00, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 10:30-22:00 (Suzhou time)
Number of seats: 235 seats (36 tables with 6 seats, 9 tables with 2 seats, 1 table with 1 seat)
Private rooms: 1 room for 6 people, 1 room for 8 people, 1 terrace private room for 4 people
Menu: Over 200 types of food (approx. 130 sushi dishes, approx. 40 side dishes, approx. 10 desserts, approx. 20 drinks)
Official WeChat account:https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8Fleg7C78hXs8wr3lYt4Eg

*Source: Fuji Keizai “Restaurant Industry Marketing Handbook 2012-2024” (Conveyor belt sushi performance figures from 2011 to 2023)

*The contents of this site are machine-translated.

<Contact for media inquiries regarding this matter>
FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES LTD. Corporate PR Department, Corporate PR Section
TEL: 06-6368-1063 (weekdays excluding weekends and holidays)
Email:press@food-and-life-co-jp
URL:https://www.food-and-life.co.jp/

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