Ito-Yokado launches “York Deli,” unifying its deli section, enhancing product quality, and aiming for 100% original items by 2025, with plans to increase sales and customer numbers
On May 22, Ito-Yokado announced the launch of its new deli brand “York Deli.”
Previously, the deli section featured multiple brands. By unifying the sales area, product containers, and promotions, the company aims to enhance the brand value. As part of this renewal, they have also revised the content of their products. For example, they have enlisted Hachidaime Gihei, who oversees the rice used in Seven-Eleven’s bento boxes, to supervise their rice. They use a blend of rice from multiple regions, which is designed to remain sweet even when cold. They also employ low-temperature milling to reduce damage to the rice and make adjustments to water temperature and soaking time during in-store cooking to ensure the rice in the bento boxes is optimal.
For tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), they emphasize a fluffy texture and insist on in-store preparation. Traditionally, it took 3 minutes to make one tamagoyaki on a griddle. However, by introducing a specialized machine, they can now produce two tamagoyaki in 2 minutes and 30 seconds, improving productivity. This specialized machine is planned to be gradually introduced to 102 stores from June onwards. York Deli offers approximately 250 items (35 of which are piece deli items), with plans to increase this to 300 items (50 piece deli items) in the future. They also aim to make 100% of their deli products original by fiscal year 2025.
The deli section is a crucial department for Ito-Yokado, which has set a target of achieving an EBITDA of 55 billion yen by fiscal year 2025. This year, they plan to renovate the food sections of 62 stores and aim to increase the deli sales ratio to 15% and customer numbers by 4% by fiscal year 2025.
At the press conference, President Tetsuya Yamamoto expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “We are committed to pursuing an unrivaled taste that other companies cannot imitate, to differentiate ourselves.”
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