Kelly’s Market

About Kelly’s Market

KellyDeli, owner of international sushi franchise Sushi Daily, launched multi-concept food market Kelly’s Market in partnership with Tesco in March 2023. The scheme launched at the Tesco store in Wokingham, Berkshire, before rolling out in Tesco stores across the UK. The five food concepts for customers to grab and go or click and collect in-store are CKN + BAO (Korean-fusion), Dos Mexicanas (Mexican street food), BamTuk (wok cuisine), My Little Dim Sum (Asian comfort food) and Little Moons (ice cream mochi).

Managing director of KellyDeli UK, Ian Roberts, said: “We’re proud to partner with the UK’s biggest retailer, Tesco, to launch Kelly’s Market, pushing the boundaries of hot serve food in-store and bringing a choice of world cuisine to consumers through multiple channels.”

Founded by South Korean Kelly Choi, KellyDeli’s portfolio of Asian food brands also includes Kelly Loves, a range of Asian grocery products, and Happy Tokyo, a new Japanese high street kiosk business. KellyDeli reported in September 2025 that it had added 100 new kiosks in retail locations in the year to 31 December 2024, bringing the total to 1,147 kiosks by the year-end.

In November 2025, Mark Buley, UK managing director of Sushi Daily owner KellyDeli, told Propel that there is “almost exponential white space” for the business in the UK, and that it is in a period of accelerated growth driven by evolving consumer habits and a disciplined expansion strategy. “There is almost exponential white space for us in the UK,” Buley said. “If we take a disciplined approach, we can grow in multiples rather than increments. The opportunity is huge - it’s about unlocking that potential responsibly and sustainably.”

Buley said a key part of KellyDeli’s strategy involves evolving its franchise model to support greater scale. The company is now aiming to attract more multi-unit operators while investing heavily in training and development for existing franchise partners and their teams. “Our growth depends on building capability within our network,” Buley said. “As our franchisees upskill and expand, everyone benefits - the franchise partners, the business, and our retail partners.” At the same time, he said shifting consumer behaviour is creating new avenues for growth, particularly in hot food and convenience-led categories.

Buley said: “We’re seeing consumers ‘trade down to trade up’ - moving away from traditional dining-out occasions but still seeking premium food experiences. Staying in has become the new going out, and we’re perfectly positioned to meet that demand with fresh, high-quality options.”

KellyDeli in 2025 launched a new Korean kitchen concept, Onggi, within a Waitrose store in Bath, and Buley said hot food concepts are one of KellyDeli’s fastest-growing areas. “Hot food is a significant opportunity for us,” he said. “It complements our sushi offer and creates a more dynamic, multi-choice environment for customers. The focus now is on quality, simplicity, and scalability - ensuring we grow quickly while maintaining and enhancing excellence.”

Looking ahead, Buley said he sees continued momentum across the UK as KellyDeli strengthens its franchise network, expands geographically across the UK and invests in innovation. “With the right focus and discipline, we can scale at pace,” he added. “The potential is significant - it’s about executing with precision and keeping the customer at the centre of everything we do.”

In August 2026, the UK arm of KellyDeli said it delivered another year of growth in 2025, with revenue up 10.3% to £66,341,471 in the 12 months to 31 December, as it increased its kiosk network from 203 stores to 230. The company said the increase in revenue reflected both network growth and continued consumer demand for freshly prepared Asian food products.

The business said its store expansion was achieved through continued investment in existing retail partnerships. During the year, the company also completed the transition of its remaining directly operated kiosks to franchise partners. As a result, all kiosks were operated by franchise partners by 31 December 2025.

Why franchise with Kelly’s Market

• ✓Kelly’s Market is looking for two-person teams to complement each others’ skills and distribute the workload; an ability to invest £65,000 on average; an entrepreneurial spirit and managerial skills; an operational partner who invests daily in their point of sale; a commercially minded person with the desire to offer the best service to their customer; a team passionate about world cuisine and keen to produce and sell beautiful, delicious products; and a motivated team to develop themselves within their network. Investment costs range from £20,001 to £50,000 and £50,001 to £100,000 (concept dependent).
• ✓The company said: “The variety of choices on offer, from vibrant, bursting burritos to crunchy Korean fried chicken baos, and including both meat and vegan options, is what sets Kelly’s Market apart. Kelly’s Market will offer hot and cold food-to-go, with a modular approach. Concepts will be adjusted based on the space, with a standard, well-equipped kitchen and cost-effective fascia that can easily be updated to accommodate future brands. The Kelly’s Market concept will offer hot and cold food-to-go, with a modular approach.
• ✓“Concepts will be adjusted based on the space, with a standard, well-equipped kitchen and cost-effective fascia that can easily be updated to accommodate future brands. It also showcases products that are freshly made in-store, bringing theatre and excitement to the whole experience and aligning with KellyDeli’s key pillar of customer engagement.”