Wegmans fish market is ‘confusingly similar’ to East Village sushi shop, lawsuit contends

NEW YORK (PIX11) – Wegmans’ new fish market in its Astor Place location is a rip-off of a “preeminent” East Village fish and sushi business, according to a new lawsuit.

Osakana owner Yuji Haraguchi said three companies – Culimer USA, Red Shell Sushi and Culinary Collaborations – took his business’ secrets through a potential sale and then brought them over to Wegmans, according to the claim filed Tuesday in New York County Supreme Court.  

A much anticipated Wegmans location opened in Astor Place in 2023, and in it, a fish market dubbed Sakanaya, which means “fish market” in Japanese, according to Wegmans’ website.

Sakanaya bears an "uncanny and confusingly similar resemblance" to Haraguchi’s business on St. Marks Place – and he suspects it's because the businesses looking to purchase Osakana took his confidential information and brought it to the grocery store giant, according to the claim. 

The Wegmans fish market shares everything – down to Osakana’s font – and Haraguchi is looking for at least $1 million, according to the claim. 

Whether or not Wegmans knew about the scam, now the grocery store giant is benefiting off a shady deal, Haraguchi’s lawyer Hamutal Lieberman told PIX11 News.

Wegmans, Culinary Collaborations, Culimer USA and Red Shell Sushi did not immediately respond to PIX11’s request for comment.

“It is clear that, among other things, Defendants are not interested in keeping their word, or competing fairly. Rather, they would rather make millions by ripping off the life’s work of Mr. Haraguchi, a minority business owner,” Haraguchi’s lawyers said in the lawsuit. 

The opening of Sakanaya came just a few months after Culimer USA, a business that played a large role in opening Wegmans’ fish market, had approached Haraguchi to buy the East Village spot, according to the suit.

Under the seeming protection of a non-disclosure agreement, Haraguchi shared confidential information with Culinary Collaborations, which was also involved in Sakanaya’s opening, and Red Shell Sushi, which is named as a defendant, the suit contends. 

In the months after Sakanaya opened, Haraguchi sent a draft purchase agreement but the interested companies suddenly backed out of purchasing Haraguchi’s business with no explanation, according to the lawsuit.