T&T Supermarket facts for kids

T&T Supermarket

T&T Supermarket store in Aurora, Ontario
Native name	大統華超市
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Retail
Founded	1993; 32 years ago (1993)
Founder	Cindy Lee
Headquarters	Richmond, British Columbia
Number of locations	33 stores
Key people	Tina Lee (CEO)
Products	Grocery
Parent	Tawa Supermarket Inc. and Uni-President Enterprises Corporation (Joint venture, 1993-2009) Loblaw Companies (2009–present)

T&T Supermarket (Chinese: 大統華超市) is a popular Canadian grocery store chain. It mainly sells Asian foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafood. You can also find Asian packaged goods, kitchen items, and gifts there. Many T&T stores have their own kitchens and bakeries too!

T&T Supermarket was started in Vancouver in 1993 by a businesswoman named Cindy Lee. Her daughter, Tina Lee, became the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) in 2014. In 2009, a large Canadian company called Loblaw Companies bought T&T Supermarket.

The stores are quite big, ranging from about 3,250 to 6,875 square meters. Besides regular grocery sections, most T&T stores have a fresh bakery, an Asian deli, a sushi counter, and a Chinese barbecue section. T&T Supermarket currently has 33 stores across Canada. In 2020, they started an online shopping website and a mobile app. T&T is also planning to open its first store in the United States in Bellevue, Washington. This new store will be huge, about 7,060 square meters, and will be the biggest Asian supermarket in that state!

The name "T&T" has a cool story. It comes from Cindy Lee's two oldest daughters, Tina and Tiffany. It also refers to the two companies that helped start the supermarket in 1993: Tawa Supermarket Inc. and Uni-President Enterprises Corporation. The Chinese name for Uni-President is pronounced "Tung-yee."

History of T&T Supermarket

How T&T Started

T&T Supermarket began in 1993 as a joint project. It was a partnership between Uni-President Enterprises Corporation (a big company from Taiwan), Tawa Supermarket Inc. (an Asian supermarket chain from California), and some Canadian investors. Cindy Lee, a businesswoman from Taiwan and Canada, opened the very first store.

T&T Joins Loblaw Companies

In July 2009, Loblaw Companies, a very large Canadian grocery company, bought T&T Supermarket. This was a big step for T&T, helping it grow even more.

Growing Across Canada and Beyond

T&T Supermarket has grown a lot and is now Canada's largest chain of Asian supermarkets. They have stores in many provinces:

• 13 stores in British Columbia (all around Metro Vancouver)
• 1 store in Quebec
• 7 stores in Alberta (4 in Calgary and 3 in Edmonton)
• 10 stores in Ontario (8 in the Greater Toronto Area, 1 in Waterloo, and 1 in Ottawa)

As mentioned, T&T Supermarket is also getting ready to open its first store in the United States. It will be in Bellevue, Washington.

New T&T Products and Rewards

In 2012, T&T started selling its own brand of products. These include things like crackers, dumplings, cakes, green tea, and sauces. They also launched a rewards program for customers. This program lets shoppers collect points and trade them in for gifts at the store.

Largest Stores and Online Shopping

T&T at Fairview Mall in Toronto (2023)

In 2018, T&T opened a huge new store in Richmond, British Columbia. It was about 6,875 square meters! This store was special because it was the first to have a fresh seafood bar, a station for Asian street food, and self-checkout machines. Experts even called it a "grocerant" because it offered so many restaurant-style foods.

In 2020, T&T made it even easier to shop by launching its online store. Now, you can order Asian food products online and have them delivered to most parts of Canada.

On May 18, 2023, T&T opened another large store at Fairview Mall in Toronto. In June, the company announced their first U.S. store in Bellevue, Washington. This store, which used to be a Walmart, is about 7,060 square meters and is expected to open in 2024.

Where to Find T&T Stores

British Columbia

The front entry of the T&T Supermarket at Marine Gateway in Vancouver, British Columbia

Alberta

Ontario

The entrance of T&T Supermarket Warden Store in Markham, Ontario

The front entrance of the T&T Supermarket College Store in Toronto, Ontario

Quebec

The entrance to T&T Supermarket Store in Montreal, Québec

• Brossard – Quartier DIX30 (opening Fall 2024)
• Montreal – Saint-Laurent (this is the largest T&T store in Canada!)

Past Locations

T&T used to have two stores in Toronto that are now closed:

• The Cherry Street store closed in 2020 after 12 years.
• The Milliken Crossings store closed in 2015.

Awards and Recognition

In 2018, the Retail Council of Canada gave a special award to T&T founder Cindy Lee and CEO Tina Lee. They received the Canadian Grand Prix Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award for their amazing work in the Canadian retail and grocery world. Cindy Lee also received another lifetime achievement award in 2019 for her contributions to the Chinese Canadian business community.

Images for kids

• 

  The interior of a T&T store

See also

• List of supermarket chains in Canada