Waitrose is to launch new sushi counters across 50 of its sites in co-operation with Sushi Daily, the KellyDeli-owned sushi bars and counters operator.
The first Sushi Daily counter will be opened at Waitrose’s new Battersea store on 19 November.
This will be followed by further sushi counters in Bath and Godalming, with the intention to roll out to up to 50 branches across the country.
The counters are just one of many new innovative features, which Waitrose is introducing in its shops, including juice and smoothie bars, wine bars, tapas areas and eat-in bakeries.
The company said that the move is designed to ensure that the modern Waitrose “reflects the needs of today’s customers, many of whom will increasingly want delicious yet convenient food to eat on the go, or a quick and healthy option for an evening meal”.
The Sushi Daily counters will be headed by a team of ”skilled sushi artisans”, who will be preparing fresh products in front of customers throughout the day. The product offer consists of a wide range of hand-made and sustainably sourced sushi and maki, for Waitrose customers to purchase with their supermarket shop. A dedicated phone line will also be available for those looking to make larger ‘platter’ orders, catering for meetings and parties.
Anthony Wysome, head of store development at Waitrose, said: “Our customers’ lifestyles are changing with the growth of eating on the move - and we are responding to this shift with our continuously developing food-to-go offering, including the new sushi feature.
“Customers are increasingly attracted by products that can deliver for them on quality, convenience and health and sushi does this brilliantly. Having seen great growth in our excellent pre-packed sushi offer, we are excited to be able to now add in-store prepared sushi to our rapidly increasing range of hospitality offers. Whether for lunch or for later, we hope that customers enjoy both the outstanding quality of this new offer and the convenience, colour and interest it will bring to our shops.”
