H Mart to Open Largest US Store in Bay Area
Korean-American supermarket chain H Mart plans to open its largest U.S. location in the San Francisco Bay Area. The company has not confirmed the specific location for the new store. The new branch is expected to offer an extensive selection of Asian groceries and other products.
- The new H Mart will be located in Fremont's Pacific Commons Shopping Center and will be a 100,000-square-foot, two-story building. This represents the largest investment in the company's history. - This location will be the first of a new multi-level prototype for H Mart, featuring a large food hall with a mix of fast-casual and full-service restaurants, a bar, and an entertainment area. - Construction is slated to begin in late 2026, taking over a former Kohl's department store building. - H Mart currently has other Bay Area locations in San Francisco and San Jose, with another planned for Dublin that has faced delays. In 2024, H Mart purchased the Oceanview Village Shopping Center, where its San Francisco store is located, for over $37 million. - The company was founded by Il Yeon Kwon, a Korean immigrant, as a single corner grocery store in Woodside, Queens, in 1982. It has since grown to over 100 stores across the United States. - H Mart's expansion in the Bay Area aligns with demographic shifts; Asians now represent the largest racial group in six of the region's nine counties. As of 2023, 18.4% of Californians identified as Asian. - The chain has a history of expanding into large retail spaces that were previously occupied by other major retailers, such as Vons, Stop & Shop, and Kmart. - This move is part of a broader trend of Asian grocery chains expanding in the Bay Area, including competitors like T&T Supermarket and Tokyo Central.
