Homeless in Arizona

I know of 4 other of these Oriental superstores and love them. They are 99 Ranch Market or Super L Ranch Market in Phoenix, Lee Lees in Chandler and the Mekong Market and AZ International Marketplace in Mesa. I think that 99 Ranch Market or Super L Ranch Market opened a store in west Phoenix but I don't know the location.

The are all about as big as normal Fry's or Safeway and full of oriental foods and products. Spices are dirt cheep compared to American grocery stores.

Source

Is Korean megastore H-Mart coming to Mesa?

Dominic Armato, The Republic | azcentral.com 9:42 a.m. MST June 6, 2016

Documents obtained by The Republic suggest the NJ-based chain of Korean supermarkets may open a location in Mesa.

An Arizona corporation formed by H-Mart founder and CEO Il Yeon Kwon has purchased property in Mesa

The lot at 1919 W. Main St. has a roughly 63,000 sq. ft. retail space, formerly an Albertson's H-Mart operates more than 50 U.S. supermarkets, focusing primarily on Korean foods and products Mesa already boasts an impressive collection of international markets. Now a famous Korean megamarket may be joining the party.

Documents obtained by The Republic suggest that H-Mart, a New Jersey-based Korean supermarket chain with more than 50 locations in 11 states and Canada, may be coming to the East Valley.

If so, it would drop another massive Asian-focused market into the heart of a competitive neighborhood, directly across the street from Mekong Plaza, half a mile up the road from the brand-new AZ International Marketplace and 5 miles from Lee Lee International Supermarket.

H-Mart representatives did not respond to requests for comment. Public records indicate that H-Mart founder and CEO Il Yeon Kwon formed an Arizona corporation, BK Arizona LLC, in March. BK Arizona LLC purchased the lot at 1919 W. Main St., Mesa, for $3 million in May. The property includes a nearly 63,000-square-foot retail space that formerly housed Ultimate Consignment and an Albertson’s grocery store.

H-Mart, short for “Han Ah Reum” (meaning “one arm full” in Korean), opened in 1982 as a corner market in Woodside, New York, and has grown into a chain of superstores that combine groceries, restaurants and small shops under one roof. The company’s expansion, which started on the East Coast, has accelerated since 2000, adding 36 locations across the United States in the last decade.

The East Valley’s burgeoning Korean community and the success of other international supermarkets in the area would make Mesa a logical target for H-mart.

Most of H-Mart’s stores are enormous international supermarkets with a product selection split roughly halfway between Korean foods and other international foods, including American groceries. In addition, H-Marts typically feature large produce sections and seafood counters, extensive selections of pickled and fermented Korean dishes, trimmed and marinated meats and, in some locations, fresh tofu made on-site.

Though its arrival would add to an already competitive environment for Asian groceries, H-Mart’s focus on Korean foods would in some ways dovetail well with the other nearby superstores, which offer more Chinese and Southeast Asian products than Korean products.

An H-Mart in this location, surrounded by other international supermarkets and a large number of Asian restaurants and businesses, would also further cement West Mesa’s standing as the hub of the Valley’s increasingly deep and diverse Asian community.

Reach Armato at dominic.armato@arizonarepublic.com; call at 602-444-8533 or interact with him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Catherine Reagor contributed to this report.