Sushi sales are booming in the UK, off the back of the Japanese cuisine’s heath halo and social media popularity, new research by Seafish has revealed.
The industry organisation’s Sushi in Multiple Retail 2026 report showed sales surged by 13.6% in value to £228m and by 2.9% in volume to 11,280 tonnes in the year to May [NIQ Scantrack 52 w/e 9 May].
Growth came despite sushi having the highest average price in the seafood category, at £19.29/kg. The report also found that sushi had seen the highest value and volume growth in the seafood segment over the past 10 years, with both metrics up 215% and 134% respectively.
Seafish said younger consumers and trends linked to Japanese culture and Asian cuisine were responsible for the sales surge, with sushi’s ‘instagrammable’ look and health credentials also driving sales.
These factors, combined with sushi’s “convenience and strong visual appeal, continues to resonate with consumers, particularly younger shoppers”, said Richard Watson, Seafish market insight analyst, who authored the report.
“What’s especially impressive is the consistency of its growth. While many food categories have faced challenges over the past decade, sushi has continued to attract new shoppers and increase sales year after year.”
Sushi’s surging performance has helped it become the sixth most popular fixture in the seafood segment, moving up from eighth last year. Shopping frequency has also increased.
The report also found shoppers bought an average of 0.3 kg of sushi per trip, spending approximately £4.65, and purchased sushi six times annually, resulting in a total average expenditure of £27.25 on 1.5kg per year.
Of the main UK supermarkets, Tesco sold the greatest share of the UK’s sushi trade by volume (28.4%), followed by Lidl (24.1%) Sainsbury’s (13.3%), Waitrose (7.8%), Asda (6.9%), Aldi (5%), Morrisons (4.5%), M&S (4.4%), Co-op (4.3%), Ocado (0.2%) and Iceland (0.1%) [NIQ Homescan YE 18 April 2026].
According to a Tesco spokesperson, the UK’s largest retailer now sells 25 different sushi products, including own label and branded lines. It sold more than 30 million sushi products last year.
“Last year we launched a brilliant new range of new sushi products, and we will continue to develop our sushi offering as customer tastes evolve in the future,” the spokesperson continued.
Charlie Derra, owner of food consultancy Curious Puffin Category Management Services, said format innovation and branded offerings were helping to drive sales at Tesco and Lidl.
“Tesco used to be standard own label only about five, six years ago, now it has standard own label, Tesco Finest label, Yo branded sushi and Itsu branded sushi,” she added.
“The choice is huge now and not just sushi pieces,” Derra noted. “Sushi burrito, sushi tacos, sandos and you can even find some options with a dip pot.
“If you go into Lidl, they give up as much space to sushi as they do to standard sandwiches.”
Although sushi had delivered consistent year-on-year gains for several years, the key drivers affecting sushi – from travel, world foods, health, convenience, quality, and younger consumer adoption, “were long term in nature”, said David Marston, director at consultancy Category Wins.
“As consumers lead busier lives, eat out less often and seek high-quality ‘treat’ experiences in retail and food-to-go, sushi is exceptionally well positioned to grow and take advantage of this,” he added. “Retailers continue to invest in space, concessions and meal deal upgrades, and younger consumers reinforce the trend through social media and health-led choices.”
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