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99 Ranch Market Brings Asian Inspiration to Arizona

PG Exclusive: Look inside the grocer’s new Phoenix-area store
Mike Troy
99 Ranch Market Brings Asian Inspiration to Arizona
99 Ranch vice chairman Jonson Chen is flanked by Jay Sears, left, and Steven Alvis, right, co-founders and managing partners at NewQuest properties, a Houston-based commercial real estate firm focused on Asian-anchored shopping centers.

Leading Asian-focused retailer 99 Ranch Market received a warm welcome from Phoenix area residents on May 29 when it entered the market with a 44,000-square-foot store.

Located in Chandler, Ariz., near North Dobson Road and West Chandler Boulevard, the store is the first 99 Ranch Market to open this year and the company’s 54th location overall. Highlights of the store include a live and frozen seafood department that features more than 400 products along with services such as complimentary cleaning, frying and steaming. There is also a full service bakery, hot deli and food court branded as Eat Up!, that contains concepts such as Nine Wings, Veggie Village, Jin Tofu Village and other future concepts.

The newest location at 44,000 square feet is slightly smaller than the two stores 99 Ranch Market opened last year. The company opened a 54,000-square-foot store in Fairfax, Va., in August 2020 and in January 2020 it opened a 56,000-square-foot store in Quincy, Mass.

“Over the past 35 plus years, our success has made us more than just an ordinary grocery store chain,” the company said in a statement. “To Asian Americans, we are their home away from home; to all other ethnic groups, we are the link to learning and experiencing about Asian cultures.”

Here’s how the company brings that philosophy to life at its new Chandler location...

a sign in front of a shop
The 99 Ranch Market banner doesn't immediately reveal to shoppers in a new market such as Chandler, Ariz., that the retailer is focused on serving Asian shoppers.
Jonson Chen
99 Ranch Market vice chairman Jonson Chen addressed a gathering of several hundred shoppers at the grand opening of the retailer's new store.
a group of people standing in front of a store
The store quickly filled with shoppers shortly after opening at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 29.
a store filled with lots of fresh produce
A big draw at the store, as with many retailers focused on serving Asian consumers, is a live seafood department.
a group of people preparing food in a kitchen
A full-service offering of services such as cleaning, steaming and even frying, adds to the appeal of the signature live seafood department.
a store filled with lots of different types of food on a table
Complementing the live offering is a trayed program of popular species, which gives 99 Ranch Market an assortment of more than 400 seafood products.
a group of people at a fruit stand
Fresh produce is another signature department within the 44,000-square-foot store, which boasts an assortment of items that are not typically available at mainstream grocers.
a group of people standing in front of a store
Seasonal items are merchandised in a dedicated area and called out in a fairly subtle way.
a group of people sitting at a table
A food court branded as Eat Up! features concepts such as Nine Wings, Veggie Village and Jin Tofu Village.
a group of people sitting at a table in front of a store
The hot deli near the food court has a variety of Asian favorites and ample seating for dine-in customers.
a group of people standing in front of a crowd
Among the favorites available in the hot deli is roast duck.
engineering drawing
The emphasis at 99 Ranch Market is on fresh and prepared food, but the store does offer a limited range of general merchandise, including popular items such as rice cookers and instant pots.
a group of people standing in a room
When it is time to check out, the store's configuration of staffed registers with visible screens allows shoppers to monitor scanning.

99 Ranch Market was established in 1984, with its first store in Westminster (Little Saigon) California. Today the Buena Park, California-based retailer claims to be the largest Asian supermarket chain in the United States, with more than 50 store locations. The company is No. 92 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

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