Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

'Brits swapping sushi for sandwich meal deals'

'Brits swapping sushi for sandwich meal deals'
iStock image
Getty Images

Britons are swapping sushi for sandwiches as the soaring cost of fish makes it pricier for many consumers, according to a leading supplier of supermarket lunch meal deals.

Dalton Philips, chief executive of Greencore, which supplies packaged convenience food to stores including Marks & Spencer, said the rising cost of fish had made many sushi products prohibitively pricey.


"The price is now at such a high level because of inflationary factors. It’s moved into a price point that’s less accessible. It’s the cost of production of fish. Some of it is farmed, some of it is wild, but either way, there’s been huge increases in that supply chain," The Telegraph quoted Philips as saying.

Meanwhile, the number of sandwiches sold by the company has risen by 3.5 per cent in the year to October compared with a year earlier.

Philips added the decline in demand for sushi was compounded by shoppers returning to chains such as Yo Sushi! that have reopened since the end of the pandemic.

“There were a lot of specialty sushi providers that closed during COVID, and so the supermarkets took a disproportionate amount of share. What’s happening now is the branded sushi providers that you see on high street, they’re all back and open again.”

Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis is prompting office workers to switch from meals to supermarket meal deals and sandwiches.

“Over 52 per cent of all sandwiches sold are sold as a meal deal. A meal deal is approximately £3.50 for a sandwich, drink and a snack. And so relative to [fast food] it’s almost half the price.”

Greencore is Britain’s biggest sandwich maker and also supplies Boots, Aldi and Lidl. It produces 779 million sandwiches and other food to go products every year, including around 25 million packs of sushi and 132 million chilled ready meals. It employs 13,600 people across 16 factories in the UK.

Philips said the company had faced an additional £200m in costs over the last year, but had offset this by raising prices.

Sales at Greencore rose by 10 per cent to £1.9bn over the year to September 29, with pre-tax profits rising 13.6 per cent to £45.2m, the company said on Tuesday (28). The company said an increase in the number of workers returning to the office full time had boosted sandwich sales.

Philips said, “You’ve got a lot more mobility on the high street. The amount of people now working five days a week in the office has surpassed the amount of people who are working in hybrid.”

More for you

VApril 2025 UKVIA campaign poster promoting vaping as a quit-smoking tool
Photo: iStock

Vape awareness campaign to begin amid record-high misperceptions

VApril, the largest and most successful vape awareness campaign in the world, is returning for its eighth year amid record-high misperceptions around vaping and stop smoking tool.

Created by the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), the initiative comes at a critical time for the UK vaping sector, with half of smokers wrongly believing vaping is as harmful - or worse - than smoking.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tŷ Hywel launch of 2025 ACS Welsh Local Shop Report on March 26
iStock image

New report shows value of Wales' convenience stores

Almost all convenience stores in Wales engaged in some form of community activity last year, shows a latest report, shedding light on the value that Wales’ 3,000+ convenience stores provide as community hubs, local employers of over 26,000 people, and significant contributors to the Welsh economy.

Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has officially launched its 2025 Welsh Local Shop Report, celebrating the key contributions that Welsh convenience stores make to their communities.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK inflation at 2.8% in Feb 2025 before Rachel Reeves’ budget speech
iStock image

Inflation dips as experts warn of  future spikes

British inflation slowed more than expected in February, bringing some relief to consumers ahead of a likely new pick-up in price growth and to finance minister Rachel Reeves before her budget update speech today (26). However, analysts have warned that it inflation will be pushed again soon due to costs arising from the Budget.

Consumer prices rose by 2.8 per cent in annual terms in February after a 3.0 per cent increase in January, the Office for National Statistics said, as clothing and footwear prices fell for the first time in more than three years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fever-Tree premium mixers being served at an upscale London bar

Fever-Tree maintains market leadership despite shifting consumer trends

Fever-Tree range

Fever-Tree reports strong revenue growth

Premium mixer brand Fever-Tree saw its revenue growth accelerate to 7 per cent in the second half of its financial year to 31 December, helping it recover from a wet start to the summer season in 2024.

The firm’s total revenue was up 4 per cent to £364 million over the 12-month period, despite a 3 per cent drop to £111.1m in the UK, where low consumer sentiment and a declining gin category hit demand for its products.

Keep ReadingShow less
Co-op member shops for Aldi price-matched essentials like 85p milk in 2025 campaign
Photo: iStock

Co-op joins in Aldi price match race

Co-op is stepping up the price war in the convenience sector by rolling out its version of the Aldi price match pledge, which has been adopted by several of the supermarket multiples in recent years.

From Wednesday (26), the Co-op will start matching the discounter’s prices on over 100 everyday essentials, including fresh fruit, milk, eggs and bread.

Keep ReadingShow less