99 Ranch Market to close two California locations
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Market → close → locations
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99 Ranch Market, one of the country’s largest Asian supermarket chains, will close two of its California stores before the end of the year, putting employees out of work.
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Market → close → work
Tawa Supermarket Inc., the Buena Park-headquartered parent company of 99 Ranch Market, filed two Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notices on Monday.
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Inc. → headquarter → Monday
99 Ranch Market will permanently close its Chino store at 4024 Grand Ave. on Nov. 15, laying off 49 employees.
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Market → close → employees
It will also close its Pleasanton store at 4299 Rosewood Drive on Dec. 5, affecting 54 employees.
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It → close → employees
“This decision will optimize our store network and allocate resources more effectively to better serve our customers,” the company said in an email.
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company → optimize → email
Once a local mecca for Chinese culinary delights, 99 Ranch has become a national pan-Asian behemoth under Jonson and Alice Chen.
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Ranch → become → Jonson
“With other 99 Ranch Market locations in the Tri-Valley and Chino/Chino Hills areas already, we remain committed to providing the community with convenient access to the quality products, diverse Pan-Asian food selections, and service our customers have come to expect,” the company said.
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company → remain → products
Taiwanese immigrant Roger Chen founded 99 Ranch Market in 1984 after noticing a gap in the American supermarket sector.
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Chen → found → sector
Chen opened the first store in Westminster.
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Chen → open → Westminster
The chain now operates more than 60 stores across 11 states.
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chain → operate → states
The closures come as competition among Asian grocers in California heats up, especially in the Bay Area.
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competition → come → Area
They grew up at the nearly 40-year-old Asian grocery chain in the San Gabriel Valley.
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They → grow → Valley
Now, siblings Alice and Jonson Chen are overseeing the national expansion of 99 Ranch Market.
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Chen → oversee → Market
Korean American chain H Mart has been expanding in California, with a new location in the East Bay and plans for a 100,000-square-foot, two-level store in Fremont with a food hall and bar.
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Mart → expand → hall
Jagalchi, a Korean market in Daly City, opened last year with a 75,000-square-foot supermarket with fresh seafood, a bakery, a K-beauty section and sit-down dining.
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Jagalchi → open → seafood
T&T Supermarket, a Canadian chain, opened a 55,000-square-foot store in San José in June and plans stores in San Francisco and Millbrae.
Other California grocery chains have also had to make major changes to their store footprints.
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chains → open → footprints
Grocery Outlet announced in March that it was closing 36 underperforming stores, including six in Southern California.
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it → announce → California
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against the Asian grocery chain alleging it discriminated against non-Chinese employees.
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it → file → employees
99 Ranch Market’s most recent opening was in January, when it unveiled its second Las Vegas store in the Summerlin neighborhood.
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it → unveil → neighborhood
In June, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Tawa Supermarket Inc., alleging the company “violated federal law when it fired and otherwise discriminated against non-Chinese workers based on their national origin.”
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it → sue → origin
No ruling or settlement has been reached on the matter.
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ruling → reach → matter
Tawa Supermarket has said the claims are without merit and will fight them.
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claims → say → them
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