Sushi Restaurants in Kristiansand: Key Figures, Businesses, and Outlooks

The sushi restaurant industry in Kristiansand constitutes a small but dynamic part of the municipality's food and service sector. With 13 registered companies and 120 employees in 2025, the data shows a mix of established and newly established businesses. The sector has experienced both growth and decline in recent years, with a sharp decline in sales of 79.6% from 2024 to 2025. This underscores the need to analyze both economic trends and competitiveness in the sector.

Sales and Employee Development

From 2016 to 2025, sales for the sushi restaurant industry in Kristiansand grew from NOK 28.4 million to NOK 54.6 million in 2024, before sharply declining to NOK 11.1 million in 2025. Employee numbers increased by 137% from 2016 to 2026, despite a decline of 36.7% from 2023 to 2024.

Economic Indicators

• EBITDA margin: 19% in 2025 (average for the sector)
• Average sales per employee: NOK 490,000 in 2025
• Average operating profit per employee: NOK 89,000 in 2025

This shows that businesses in the sector have relatively high efficiency, although there are significant variations between individual companies.

Registered Companies

A total of 13 companies are registered in the sushi restaurant sector in Kristiansand, with the following selected examples:

Organizational Forms

All companies are registered as AS (11 companies), with an average equity of NOK 2.8 million and average debt of NOK 18.3 million.

Distribution of Businesses

All 13 companies in the sushi restaurant sector are registered in Kristiansand, with a focus on central areas such as Kirkegata, Barstølveien, and Markens gate. This shows a clear concentration in the municipality's center, where there is high population density and tourist activity.

Bankruptcies and Operational Efficiency

None of the 13 companies in the sushi restaurant sector have registered bankruptcies during the period. However, data shows that four companies (Royal Sushi Vennesla As, Sushi Kristiansand As, Yy Kristiansand Lai As, and Tg & Hg As) have 0 in sales and employees in 2025. This may indicate that these companies are either newly established, in the start-up phase, or have encountered operational challenges.

Development Trends for Entrepreneurs

In recent years, the sushi restaurant sector in Kristiansand has shown both strong growth and sharp declines. The sharp decline in sales of 79.6% from 2024 to 2025 is a critical challenge. This may be due to variations in customer behavior, competitiveness, or external factors such as the pandemic and economic conditions.

For entrepreneurs, this suggests a need for:

• Differentiation of offerings and customer approaches
• Effective cost management to maintain a high EBITDA margin
• Strategic placement in the municipality's most trafficked areas
• Use of digital tools to increase accessibility and customer engagement

Comparison with the Broader Sector

The restaurant and café sector in Kristiansand has 248 companies, showing that sushi restaurants are a relatively small sub-sector. However, data shows that sushi restaurants have a higher average EBITDA margin (19%) compared to the average in the broader sector.

Peer Analysis

Current companies in the broader sector with high EBITDA:

This shows that sushi restaurants can compete at the EBITDA level, but have lower sales and fewer employees compared to larger restaurants in the municipality.

Sushi restaurants in Kristiansand show both potential and challenges. With 13 companies and 120 employees in 2025, as well as an average EBITDA margin of 19%, the sector is relatively stable. However, the sharp decline in sales of 79.6% from 2024 to 2025 is a critical challenge. Entrepreneurs should consider focusing on differentiation, effective cost management, and strategic placement in the municipality's most trafficked areas. SmartGrunder can help find optimal addresses and develop competitive business models in this sector.