Attracting new customer groups with a sushi bar

Kältenews spoke with famila Distribution Planner Matthias Tilk to learn about the benefits of the Epta and Kelly Deli sushi bar concept recently introduced at the famila market in Lübeck, and how it distinguishes itself from others in the market.

Fresh fish is as much a part of Northern Germany as white sausage is of Bavaria. The Japanese preparation style is also becoming increasingly popular in the North: Sushi has been a trend for many years; it is considered healthy, tastes delicious, and offers a wide variety of options. Nowadays, more and more grocery retailers are discovering it and expanding their offerings to include rice rolls. This includes three famila markets in Wedel, Bad Bramstedt, and Lübeck. Recently, they installed the newly designed sushi bar from Epta and Kelly Deli.

SHOW COOKING CONVINCES

The famila market on Schwartauer Landstraße in Lübeck has been around since 1983. With a sales area of ​​around 3700 square meters, customers can find an extensive range of food and non-food items. "Their specialist center character with additional stores on the premises makes famila markets so attractive to customers," says Matthias Tilk, responsible for sales planning at famila Handelsmarkt GmbH & Co. KG. The Lübeck market was due for a renovation and modernization, and as part of this, the size of the departments was reviewed. With 220 square meters, the frozen food section was already quite large, while the fruit and vegetable section was expanded to 200 square meters, and a sushi bar was integrated into this department. "Until now, we didn't have gastronomy in the sales area, only a bakery with a large dining area in the front area," explains Matthias Tilk the expansion of the offering. "Customers cannot consume the sushi on-site, but they can take it home, and they can see how it is freshly prepared by the chef right in front of them. This show-cooking effect is fantastic!" For the self-service department store, Maki, Nigiri, and Co. are a real competitive advantage, as no other market in the area offers them. "We chose the Epta and Kelly Deli sushi bar because the rice rolls are made fresh on-site there, unlike other providers," explains Matthias Tilk the background of the decision.

SUSHI BAR AS A COMPLETE PACKAGE

The team at Epta Concept (see also article on page 8) designed the sushi bar. This comes as a complete package to customers and consists of store construction and wooden elements as well as shelves for presenting additional products related to sushi. Also included are stainless steel equipment such as sinks and countertops. Depending on the location within the market, the bar is adapted to the respective requirements and slightly modified, for example, with a ceiling. Always part of the concept is the half-height plug-in self-service refrigerated counter Sushi Country from the Epta brand Eurocryor, where the chefs place the prepared, packaged sushi. The graduated shelves of the open furniture are made of high-quality stainless steel. Kelly Deli provides the sushi chef and takes care of everything related to preparing the Japanese specialties.

ATTRACTING NEW CUSTOMER GROUPS

"We are very pleased with how our customers are embracing the sushi," says Matthias Tilk. "It is an enhancement to our range and complements our offering. Our goal is to attract new customer groups who come for the sushi but then also purchase beverages or other products."