How T&T’s Tina Lee Takes The Lead
When a T&T Supermarket opens, its devotees—often in the hundreds—turn out just to see what treasures they might find in-store, from viral snacks to specialty produce and trendy beauty products. Since when did supermarkets have fandoms?
The Asian grocery chain was founded in 1993 by Cindy and Jack Lee, who lovingly named the business after their daughters, Tiffany and Tina. When their mother retired in 2014, Tina took on the role of chief executive, transforming the brand into a North American retail and cultural powerhouse.
“Grocery stores can feel so insignificant,” she says. “But when a community gets a T&T, it changes things.”
As CEO, Lee supercharged T&T’s growth across Canada and into the U.S. She’s also bringing the grocer’s buzzy private label into other retail banners under parent company Loblaw Companies Limited, most recently Real Canadian Superstore locations nationwide.
Canadian Grocer caught up with Lee at the April 9 opening of the T&T Supermarket at Erin Mills Power Centre in Mississauga—the company’s 15th store in Ontario and 39th in North America—where crowds queued for hours.
The reception, Lee says, illustrates the brand is about more than groceries: T&T expands access to foods that sustain culture—meals that bring families and friends together—while inviting new audiences to discover Asian cuisine.
Lee herself has become part of the community. During our interview, a shopper approached smiling and said, “I’ve always wanted to meet you.” Lee graciously paused to take a selfie with him. (She is, after all, something of an influencer.)
T&T’s family roots remain central to the brand. At Erin Mills, a mural in the produce section traces that origin story in both English and Chinese. The youngest of Lee’s three children, Taylin, took part in opening-day festivities and appears in in-store promotions for T&T’s refrigerated dim sum products.
Here, Lee discusses her leadership style—from using social media to connect with customers to hosting karaoke at all-hands meetings—and finding business inspiration from Disney.
What is the core philosophy behind how you run the business?
We’re a very people-oriented business in how we treat our employees, suppliers and customers. I often tell my team that with the right people, we can do anything. Today we’re selling bananas and bok choy, but tomorrow we could sell sand in the desert together. It really comes down to alignment—being in the right boat, in the right seat, all moving in the same direction. I feel very blessed to be carrying the legacy of my parents in this business. My team has really gotten behind it, and the community is leaning into it and believing in it.
What shaped your leadership style when you became CEO?
I came back to T&T in 2009 [after a few years at Deloitte Consulting] when I was 29 and became CEO at 34. And honestly, what do you know at 34 about leading such a big business? You have to earn your stripes. You have to earn the respect of people who were reporting to your mother and then transitioned to reporting to you. So for me, it was about communication—sharing the vision, getting people on board. I share an idea, and I’m open and humble enough to collect input on whether that idea is good or not. I also surround myself with people who execute at a world-class level. That’s how it comes together. And I don’t try to fake it. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. My team knows how I’m feeling all the time. And when I share even my insecurities, they back me up.
In fact, you drew attention in a CBC interview a couple years ago when you questioned whether expanding into the U.S. was the right move for T&T. Some argue leaders should always project certainty. How do you respond to that?
You’re right — some people think leaders need to always be very polished or aggressive. But I just say what I feel. I run my business with passion, compassion, excitement and energy. In interviews, people sometimes say I sound timid or not forceful enough. But I think I’m just honest about where I’m at — I’m not confident all the time. That honesty helps the team rally. It’s like: we’re going to figure this out and accomplish it together.
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You have more than 32,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 39,000 on LinkedIn. How do you approach being a public-facing CEO on social media?
We were dark for a long time. I remember ICQ days, early Facebook days, and we just didn’t really put ourselves out there. But COVID forced us to open up because I really wanted to communicate directly with customers. We decided we should be where our customers are—Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn. And yes, that exposes me to some haters and criticism. But for the most part, as you can see from the turnout today, we are building community, celebrating food and moving culture forward—and I think that’s a beautiful thing. In a retail setting, we have more than 30,000 products and every store takes millions of dollars to build. So while not every CEO goes out the way I do on social media—and maybe I shouldn’t—for me it’s as simple as documenting for consumers what we’re doing.
What role does culture play at T&T?
We connect through food, but also through music, energy and shared experiences. Like a lot of companies, we have a weekly all-hands meeting, which for us is on Thursdays. We used to play a song to signal the start of the meeting. Now we play a karaoke version of the song—and someone performs it! It’s hilarious and fun. Those little changes sound small, but they change the energy, connect people and make work more enjoyable.
What do you do outside of work that makes you a better leader at work?
My current obsession is Disney theme parks. I go with my kids during holidays, but I’m also constantly observing Disney executes—seeing their attention to every detail, even something like a visit to the Lost and Found. And I bring a lot of that back to T&T. We want to create what I call a "six-senses experience"—where people walk in and feel like all their senses are being activated, including the sixth sense: how we make you feel. We design for energy. We design for chi. In Chinese culture, chi is about flow and energy in a space, and I want grocery shopping to feel alive, not like a chore. That’s why we invest in sampling, think about how groceries are bagged, and pay attention to music and in-store atmosphere and design. I’ve even taken my leadership team to Disneyland for customer training. Because at the end of the day, we’re not just about groceries—we’re an experience.
Canadian Grocer's How I Take The Lead series speaks to people from across the industry about how they take the lead on a specific project, initiative or aspect of their job. You’ll hear from grocery leaders about their passions, how they tackle challenges, what they’ve learned and what keeps them motivated. Have a pitch? Send it to our digital editor Jillian Morgan at [email protected].
