Korean grocery store Mega Mart to open in central Fremont

FREMONT — Just a number of months after Sprouts Farmers Sector closed at a significant Fremont searching heart, a Korean grocery retail store is planning to open in the very same area, according to the company.

Mega Mart, a Seoul-dependent grocer, is established to open what will turn out to be its third U.S. keep, in central Fremont at 3900 Mowry Ave., organization officials reported.

The very first U.S. spot for the chain was opened in 2009 in Duluth, Ga, just outside the house of Atlanta. The Mega Mart business also opened a store less than a diverse name, The K Industry, in Sunnyvale final year, in accordance to Bumsuck Ha, the chain’s head of U.S. operations.

Ha claimed the Fremont store’s grand opening day is currently set for Sept. 23, but the store may have a gentle opening sooner. All-around that time, the Sunnyvale store’s name will adjust to Mega Mart also, Ha stated. The place is estimated to be 27,000 sq. feet, in accordance to prior experiences. Ahead of the internet site was occupied by Sprouts, it was the home of Barnes & Noble Booksellers for many many years.

Mega Mart may possibly probable be only the second Korean current market or grocery shop in Fremont. Nearby in the exact Mowry Plaza searching middle is Manna Oriental Current market, a Korean industry presenting organized foodstuff, snacks and property merchandise.

While Fremont has a numerous populace, with approximately 60 p.c of its people pinpointing as getting some Asian ancestry, only a compact percentage of those establish as staying of Korean descent, in accordance to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Ha explained the new retail store will carry specialty Korean solutions, but will be “for every person,” and he expects clients to appear from Oakland, San Jose and other spots in amongst to store at Mega Mart.

The keep will feature a gluten-free of charge bakery, as nicely as an Asian deli counter, serving refreshing and prepared foods, like the popular Korean marinated beef dish referred to as bulgogi, noodle dishes and sushi, Ha reported. The store will also have a refreshing fish counter.

Ha stated due to the fact the chain has a a great deal longer heritage and more merchants in Korea, its purchasers can come across special items for the U.S. market place, including Korean snacks and sweets, frozen vegan food items choices and crimson ginseng products and solutions.

“We are importing that specifically from Korea,” he stated in an job interview Tuesday. “You simply cannot discover some of these issues any place else.”

The Mega Mart brand and subsidiaries are owned by guardian organization Nongshim, a meals and drink maker and wholesaler that makes several common instantaneous noodle dishes. The enterprise has a lot more than 15 stores, a buying mall and other companies in Korea.