T&T Supermarkets to Open 1st California Store
Canadian Asian grocery retailer T&T Supermarket Inc. has revealed that it plans to open its first store in California at Westgate Center in San Jose in the fall of 2025. With two stores already in the pipeline in Washington state, T&T now has three stores slated to open in the United States.
Bay Area residents will find the 55,000-square-foot San Jose location at the major intersection of Saratoga Avenue and Prospect Road, the site of a former Walmart.
Richmond, British Columbia-based T&T, which currently operates more than 33 stores across Canada, is known for its wide selection of authentic Asian products, fresh produce, full-service meat counter, live seafood tanks and an acclaimed in-store prepared food program.
[Read more: Popular Japanese Grocer Entering San Francisco’s East Bay]
The San Jose store will feature a barbecue counter, a noodle station, a dim sum and street food section, a hot food bar, and a made-to-order Chinese crepe station. The location will also offer an in-store bakery with such freshly prepared items as mochi puffs, egg tarts, Hong Kong-style pastries and customized cakes. For the first time, California shoppers will be able to try the chain’s signature private label products, including pineapple cakes, Taiwanese sausages, soup pork dumplings and green onion pancakes, all at reasonable prices.
“The first time I visited a T&T, it blew my mind,” said Jeff Kreshek, Western region president of real estate investment trust Federal Realty, the developer of Westgate Center. “I came back from Canada thinking, ‘We have to make this happen.’ People don't know what they are missing. T&T is a dynamic concept that caters to the eclectic interests and preferences of our community. To take the T&T experience and put it into Westgate Center – it’ll be a force multiplier.”
North Bethesda, Md.-based Federal Realty has regional offices in Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Jose, and McLean, Va.
“We aim to create a destination,” explained T&T CEO Tina Lee. “It’s a place for discovery, innovation and bringing people together through food. We want to evolve our grocery store beyond the functional – we want to be the place where people want to go, not just need to go. We can’t wait to share that with the people of the Bay Area.”
Added Lee: “San Jose is a very special place to me. My aunt lives in Saratoga, and I have spent many summers there. It brings back great memories. This store is for her.”
The store will create nearly 200 jobs in the local community.
Irving, Texas-based CBRE arranged T&T’s lease at Westgate Center in partnership with The Econic Co., whose main office is in Campbell, Calif.
