Popular Korean Supermarket Aims To Expand San Francisco Location

Popular Korean American supermarket H Mart held a pre-application meeting over Zoom on March 21 to share information about expansion plans for growing into the Oceanview Village Shopping Center on Alemany Boulevard.

Sam Kim, the company’s head of assessment management, told meeting participants that H Mart wants to attract more customers with the new offerings.

The plans include expanding into the former 24 Hour Fitness space next door to add 1,184 square feet to widen their food court on the ground floor and 21,800 square feet basement for a space dedicated to dry goods and non-perishable items along with a partial kitchen equipped with microwaves, tables and chairs. 57 additional parking spaces are included.

“It really is a separate draw for other potential customers being a one-stop shop for the customers that come now” Kim said. “Whether they’re spending 30-40 minutes, they will spend maybe an extra 30 minutes to shop in our extended area.”

H Mart will have three to four contractors working on this project. The company predicts that remodeling should take approximately six months once approvals are obtained from the city.

Several attendees asked about the store’s food waste management and the potential to serve food samples.

Kim said the company wants to bring back the sample offerings, which were put on hold because of the pandemic.

As for waste management, they plan to partner with local nonprofits to donate food before it expires.

"We want to be a part of the community,” Kim said. “We’re open to any recommendations.”

The supermarket opened in April 2021, joining more than 100 stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K.