Last fall, Canadian retail chain T&T Supermarkets shared plans to open its flagship United States location in Bellevue, Wash., and this summer, the company followed it up with a second Washington location expected to open in 2025 in Lynnwood.

T&T Supermarkets is a “full service unique shopping experience known for its vast selection of authentic Asian products, fresh produce, full-service meat counter, live seafood tanks, and an in-store prepared foods program like no other,” the company said.

The opening of the Bellevue location has been delayed as critical equipment is on backorder, but the company is hopeful to open the store by the end of the year, said Tina Lee, CEO of T&T Supermarkets.

"We never stopped looking at locations in Washington after the announcement of our flagship store in Bellevue," Lee said. "There's excellent growth potential here, and although we originally planned on only committing to a second location after Bellevue opens, we just couldn't resist this opportunity. It's a great location in a former grocery box — at 30,000 square feet, it's a fitting size for Lynnwood."

Now T&T Supermarkets has plans for a third US store in San Jose, Calif.

“The new location will feature a BBQ counter, noodle station, dim sum and street food section, hot food bar, and a made-to-order Chinese crepe station,” the company said.

"We aim to create a destination," Lee said. "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. 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."

This article is an excerpt from the October 2024 issue of Supermarket Perimeter. You can read the entire Barbecue feature and more in the digital edition here.