Asian supermarkets crop up in Canada

An upsurge in the Asian-Canadian population is changing the supermarket landscape north of the U.S. border, with new Asian supermarkets posing a threat to existing Asian mom-and-pop stores, according to a report by AFP News. There are currently more than 1.2 million Canadians of Chinese, Korean, or Japanese heritage, according to Statistics Canada. Grocery chains such as Richmond, B.C.-based T and T Supermarkets, Inc.; Kin's Farm Market, also based in Richmond; and New York-based Han Ah Reum Mart, which operates 15 stores in the eastern United States, have said they plan to build new stores close to such cities as Vancouver and Toronto, where the majority of Asian-Canadians live. Mom-and-pop stores may have more to lose than mainstream grocers, according to one retail consultant, who noted that the country is experiencing a shift away from small family-owned corner stores run by Asian immigrants. Kam Choi, v.p. of T and T Supermarkets, calls it the "westernizing of Asian-Canadian shopping habits." He notes that the time-starved lifestyles of these consumers aren't any different from those of other Canadians.