Business Franchise Australia

SUSHI AND SPORT A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

Hot on the heels of announcing a major new partnership with the Melbourne Vixens and Netball Victoria, Sushi Sushi has continued its winning streak with the retailer confirming record-breaking sales at the Australian Open.

Sushi stole significant market share from traditional food and beverage options at the Australian Open, according to information from Rod Laver Arena’s catering management provider Delaware North.

Sushi Sushi general manager of franchise sales and marketing, Gavan Meadows, said the rising demand for healthy options at sporting venues prompted their partnership with Tennis Australia and sales figures from the 2017 event confirms the business direction to align sushi with sport.

“Sport spectators are clearly inspired by the athleticism on display and increasingly want healthy options, particularly if they are fresh, which we can see from the Delaware North figures that show 45% of people at the Australian Open chose sushi over a sandwich when given the choice,” Mr Meadows said.

The sushi retailer’s Garden Square outlet accounted for 22.5% of the total food revenue for that area while total units of sushi sold topped 19,500.

According to consumer research, sporting venues that cater to health conscious consumers can increase visitors and total sales if more healthy food options are available.

“We recently undertook consumer research that showed that if sporting venues offers healthier food options, 9% would attend more events, 17% would spend more as they would be more inclined to buy the food and 22% think they would have a better experience.

“We know that attending sporting matches is often a family affair, but parents are less thrilled about the unhealthy foods their kids will inevitably have to eat, however, 23% of parents said they would be more likely to take their children to a sporting event if there were healthy options available.

“We think there is a huge opportunity for venues around the country to tap into the healthy eating trend to raise attendance and increase revenue by serving up the good food options people are hungry for.

“Our partnership with Tennis Australia and now Netball Victoria is a small step towards our goal of giving people the healthy food options they are after, and demonstrates our shared commitment to promoting better eating habits at events.

“With Tennis Australia and the Melbourne Vixens, we have the opportunity to spread the message of healthy eating to thousands of health-conscious Aussies.”

Tennis Australia said it was delighted to partner with Sushi Sushi for a second year, and was equally impressed with the retailer’s performance at this year’s event. 

“We were excited to once again provide both players and spectators with a healthy, premium sushi offering at the 2017 Australian Open,” a Tennis Australian spokesperson said.

“Part of our mission is to engender healthier communities and encourage greater activity amongst all age groups and we recognise that healthier eating is one of the first steps towards greater wellbeing in Australia.”