DON DON DONKI's conveyor belt sushi chain Senzai closed all 5 Hong Kong stores in 2025

鲜选寿司 (Senzai Sushi) was the first conveyor belt sushi concept launched globally by Japanese retail giant DON DON DONKI, opened in October 2021 at the Tsuen Wan waterfront alongside a DONKI supermarket. The brand was positioned as DONKI's answer to the booming kaiten sushi market in Hong Kong, offering affordable plates sourced through the group's supply chain.

The chain expanded quickly to 5 stores — Tsuen Wan, the Peak Galleria, Whampoa, Causeway Bay's Pearl City, and Siu Sai Wan's Island Resort Mall. For a brand launched during the pandemic, reaching 5 stores in under two years suggested strong momentum. But the conveyor belt sushi segment in Hong Kong was already dominated by two established players: Sushiro (寿司郎) with over 20 locations, and Genki Sushi (元气寿司) with decades of brand recognition.

Stores began closing in 2024. By 2025, only the original Tsuen Wan location remained. It closed on 1 July 2025, with the storefront notice citing only 'preparation for an exciting new event' — a standard corporate euphemism that left the real reasons unstated. Industry observers noted that competing against Sushiro's aggressive pricing and Genki Sushi's entrenched local presence was unsustainable for a chain too small to achieve the same cost efficiencies.

The case illustrates that even a powerful parent company like DON DON DONKI cannot win a segment by attaching its brand to a me-too concept. Without a clear competitive advantage — price, quality, or novelty — against established incumbents, a chain of 5 stores simply lacks the scale to survive in a market where the leaders have 20+ locations and years of customer loyalty.