T&T Supermarket readies Washington store, delays Bay Area opening
T&T Supermarket Inc., Canada’s largest Asian grocery retailer, is preparing to open its second outpost in the state of Washington. The location, at the Lynnwood Crossroads shopping center north of Seattle, is slated to open on Nov. 13.
The new supermarket will feature a 150-item bakery, sushi station, carving counter for Chinese barbecue, self-serve food bar and made-to-order food stall, according to The Seattle Times. At 30,000 square feet, the store will be less than half the size of Washington’s first T&T location in Bellevue.
“Washington has always been a key market for us — it’s close to our Richmond, B.C., headquarters, and we’ve long noticed U.S. license plates at our B.C. stores,” T&T CEO Tina Lee told The Seattle Times. “We knew there was strong demand, but the response in Bellevue was beyond our expectations. … That gave us confidence and proved how much our concept resonates with Americans.”
Meanwhile, another new T&T supermarket slated to open this fall in California’s Bay Area has been delayed. According to a social media video featuring Lee, California’s first T&T will not open as originally scheduled due to power and utility issues.
“I have some disappointing news for our friends in San Jose, but the store is delayed. No, not happy about it,” Lee said. “We’re very much on the backs of the utility companies to get us going. Understandably though, California has a lot to do on energy and power. I remember the crazy fires from last year, and there’s a lot of backlog because of that.”
That supermarket is now expected to open its doors in spring 2026. T&T’s second California location is set to open in San Francisco’s city centre in winter 2026.
T&T Supermarkets operates approximately 40 stores across Canada and the United States, in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Bellevue, Wash. The Richmond, British Columbia-based company has offices in Toronto and Los Angeles. T&T is owned by Loblaw Cos., No. 14 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2025 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
