T&T Supermarket‘s first California store generated the highest first-week sales of any location in Loblaw Companies Limited’s history, giving the Canadian-founded Asian grocer a strong start as it expands its presence in the United States.
The approximately 55,000-square-foot supermarket opened June 18 at Westgate Center in San Jose, occupying a former Walmart space at 1600 Saratoga Avenue. It is T&T’s third U.S. store and its first outside Washington State.
During Loblaw’s second-quarter earnings call, President and Chief Executive Officer Per Bank said the San Jose supermarket set a company record during its opening week. Management also pointed to strong customer traffic and lengthy lineups as evidence of demand for the banner in California.
The performance gives T&T considerable momentum as it develops a broader U.S. network. Loblaw expects two additional California stores to open during 2026, while T&T has announced a wider pipeline spanning the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California.
The San Jose supermarket features T&T’s full-format concept, including fresh grocery departments, prepared foods, bakery, live seafood, Asian beauty products and an extensive selection of merchandise from across Asia, alongside a growing assortment of private-label products.
That combination has helped establish T&T as both a weekly grocery destination and a place where shoppers can discover new foods and flavours.
From Washington to California
T&T entered the U.S. market in December 2024 with a 76,000-square-foot supermarket at The Marketplace at Factoria in Bellevue, Washington.
The opening attracted substantial crowds, with customers lining up before the doors opened and traffic remaining strong throughout the launch period. The store, located in a former Walmart space, was T&T’s largest location at the time and marked the beginning of the company’s expansion beyond Canada.
A second Washington location followed in Lynnwood in November 2025. At approximately 30,000 square feet, the Lynnwood Crossroads store occupies a former Sprouts Farmers Market and demonstrates that T&T can successfully adapt its concept to different store sizes. Customers lined up despite cold, rainy weather, providing another visible indication of demand for the banner.
San Jose represents a significant next step. It brings T&T into California, gives the retailer access to one of North America’s largest Asian consumer markets and establishes a base for several additional stores already in development.
The first three U.S. locations also illustrate the flexibility of T&T’s real estate strategy. Bellevue spans approximately 76,000 square feet, San Jose about 55,000 square feet and Lynnwood roughly 30,000 square feet. Despite those differences, each store delivers the departments and product mix that define the banner.
San Jose Offers a Strong Foundation
San Jose was a logical choice for T&T’s California debut. The city has a population approaching one million. Residents identifying as Asian account for approximately 39.5 per cent of the population, while about 42 per cent of residents were born outside the United States.
Those demographics provide a substantial customer base already familiar with many of the products and cuisines found throughout T&T stores. The retailer’s ambitions extend well beyond that audience.
Chief Executive Officer Tina Lee has consistently positioned T&T as a destination where Asian families can find familiar foods and maintain cultural connections while welcoming customers interested in exploring Asian cuisine.
That approach has become increasingly relevant as Asian foods and flavours have become part of mainstream dining and grocery shopping across North America.
T&T’s assortment serves customers purchasing familiar household staples while encouraging others to discover prepared meals, bakery items, snacks, condiments and fresh products they may not have tried before.
Prepared foods remain one of the banner’s defining features. Stores typically offer barbecue meats, dim sum, sushi, hot meals, baked goods and other ready-to-eat selections.
The result is a supermarket that encourages repeat grocery visits while offering an experience that extends beyond routine shopping.
A Growing California Pipeline
San Jose is the first of several California stores announced by T&T.
Loblaw management said two additional California locations are expected to open during 2026. Public announcements point to a broader development pipeline that includes San Francisco, Millbrae, Irvine and Chino Hills, although construction schedules and opening dates may continue to evolve.
In San Francisco, T&T plans to open an approximately 50,000-square-foot supermarket at San Francisco City Center on Geary Boulevard, serving several densely populated neighbourhoods including Pacific Heights and the Richmond District.
A roughly 52,000-square-foot location is planned for Friendship Plaza in Millbrae, near San Francisco International Airport. Lee has previously described large-format retail space as difficult to secure in the Bay Area and identified Millbrae as a strategic location between San Francisco and San Jose.
The retailer is also preparing to enter Southern California. A 34,000-square-foot supermarket is planned for The Canopy at Great Park in Irvine, while an approximately 61,000-square-foot location has been announced for Crossroads Marketplace in Chino Hills.
A further store is planned for NewPark Mall in Newark, where T&T is expected to occupy approximately 72,600 square feet on the ground floor of a former Macy’s department store. Targeted for late 2027, it would become one of the company’s largest U.S. locations.
The pace of expansion is notable for a retailer that entered the U.S. market less than two years ago. While construction timelines remain subject to change, the number of announced locations indicates that T&T’s U.S. strategy has progressed well beyond a single-store test.
Regional Networks Begin to Emerge
The announced locations suggest T&T is beginning to build regional density in California. San Jose, Millbrae, San Francisco and Newark would provide coverage across Silicon Valley, the Peninsula, San Francisco and the East Bay. In Southern California, Irvine and Chino Hills could become the foundation of a second regional network.
T&T has not publicly described this as a formal clustering strategy. Even so, concentrating stores within the same regions could strengthen brand awareness, improve operating efficiencies and support future growth.
Regional density may be particularly valuable for a retailer whose assortment includes imported grocery products, fresh ingredients, live seafood and extensive prepared-food operations. The next wave of openings should provide a clearer picture of how T&T intends to expand across major U.S. metropolitan markets.
Large Retail Spaces Complement the Concept
T&T’s expansion has also benefited from the availability of large retail spaces left vacant by other chains. Its Bellevue and San Jose stores occupy former Walmart locations, while Lynnwood opened in a former Sprouts Farmers Market. The planned Newark supermarket will take over part of a former Macy’s department store. Those spaces provide the room required for T&T’s broad assortment and food-focused operating model.
Large stores accommodate extensive fresh departments, bakery production, prepared-food kitchens, seafood tanks, beauty products, private-label merchandise and expansive international grocery selections.
For shopping-centre owners, T&T can help reposition large vacancies with a retailer capable of generating consistent customer traffic. Prepared foods, bakery departments and grocery shopping also encourage repeat visits throughout the week, creating a different traffic pattern from many traditional retail tenants.
Exporting a Canadian Retail Success Story
T&T was founded in Vancouver in 1993 by Cindy Lee and Jack Lee. Loblaw acquired the business in 2009, and the chain continues to be led by their daughter, Tina Lee.
The retailer has since expanded across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, operating more than 35 Canadian stores alongside its growing U.S. presence. Its expansion south of the border represents a noteworthy milestone for Canadian retail.
Loblaw owns a banner developed in Canada that is now entering major U.S. markets with a distinct customer proposition and merchandising strategy. Supported by the scale of Canada’s largest retailer while maintaining its own leadership and identity, T&T has developed a format that appears well suited to diverse metropolitan markets.
The next several openings will provide a stronger measure of whether the enthusiasm surrounding San Jose can be replicated across additional California markets. For now, the results have given T&T a strong foundation for its next phase of U.S. growth.
As more California stores come online, the expansion will offer one of the clearest tests yet of whether a retail concept developed in Canada can establish a lasting presence in one of the world’s most competitive grocery markets.
