T & T Supermarket
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
supermarket chain which sells primarily Chinese and Asian foods. The supermarket chain is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
. In 1993, the first T & T was opened in Burnaby's Metropolis
Metrotown
Metropolis at Metrotown is a shopping mall complex in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. With over 450 shops and services, it is the largest mall in British Columbia, and the 2nd largest in Canada...
shopping centre in Metro Vancouver.
With rapid expansion, T & T is now Canada's largest Asian supermarket
Asian supermarket
An Asian supermarket, sometimes called an "Oriental supermarket", is a grocery store in non-Asian countries that stocks items imported from the many countries in East and Southeast Asia. They carry items and ingredients generally well-suited for Asian cuisines and not found in most Western...
chain. It has eight stores in Metro Vancouver, four in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
(two in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and two in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
), and seven stores in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
with six stores in the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
including Downtown Toronto
Downtown Toronto
Downtown Toronto is the central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately bounded by Bloor Street to the north, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don River to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west...
, and one in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. More stores are expected to open in the coming years with a target for 10 in Eastern Canada.
The average size of each store is between 35000 sq ft (3,251.6 m²). and 45000 sq ft (4,180.6 m²). In addition to the many departments found in a regular supermarket, most T & T stores also have an in-house bakery, an Asian deli
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
, a sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
and Chinese barbecue department.
T & T is part of Loblaw Companies
Loblaw Companies
Loblaw Companies Limited is the largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,400 supermarkets operating under a variety of regional banners, including the namesake Loblaws. LCL is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario...
, which purchased it in July 2009 for $225 million in consideration, consisting of $191 million in cash and $34 million in preferred shares. The consideration paid above and beyond the tangible asset base of the company (i.e. the accounting goodwill) was estimated at $180 million. The chain had been created as a joint venture of Uni-President Enterprises Corporation
Uni-President Enterprises Corporation
Uni-President Enterprises Corporation is an international food conglomerate based in Tainan, Taiwan. It is the largest food production company in Taiwan as well as Asia, and has a significant market share in dairy product, foods and snacks, and beverages markets. It is also responsible for...
, one of Taiwan's ten largest conglomerates; Tawa Supermarkets
99 Ranch Market
Although most of its customers are ethnic Chinese Americans and Taiwanese Americans, shoppers also include recent immigrants from China, ethnic Chinese from Vietnam, and others. The chain sells a wide range of imported food products and merchandise from Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan, ...
Inc., a California-based chain of Asian supermarkets; and a group of Canadian investors. Chief executive officer Cindy Lee is a Taiwanese-Canadian who started the business with one store.
The first "T" stands for Tawa Supermarket Inc; the second "T" represents Uni-President Enterprises Corp., whose Chinese name is pronounced "Tong Yi".
Locations
British Columbia
- Coquitlam CentreCoquitlam CentreCoquitlam Centre is a shopping mall in Coquitlam, British Columbia, built in 1979 and expanded in 2001. It is located at the southern edge of the Coquitlam Town Centre area, near Coquitlam Central Station and several other smaller shopping centres...
– Coquitlam - Keefer Place (Chinatown) – VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
- First Avenue – Vancouver
- Metropolis at MetrotownMetrotownMetropolis at Metrotown is a shopping mall complex in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. With over 450 shops and services, it is the largest mall in British Columbia, and the 2nd largest in Canada...
– Burnaby
- President Plaza – RichmondRichmond, British ColumbiaRichmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
- Impact Plaza – SurreySurrey, British ColumbiaSurrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
- Central City Shopping CentreCentral City Shopping CentreCentral City Shopping Centre is a shopping mall and office tower complex in Whalley, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, which is owned by Blackwood Partners Management Corporation. It is near Surrey Central Station of the SkyTrain system in the Whalley neighbourhood...
– Surrey
Does not include two Osaka Supermarkets which are also owned by T & T Supermarket.
- Yaohan CentreYaohan CentreYaohan Centre is a shopping centre in the Golden Village district of Richmond, British Columbia. It caters mainly to Asian people, mainly those of Chinese and Japanese descent...
– Richmond - Park Royal Shopping CentrePark Royal Shopping CentrePark Royal Shopping Centre, opened in 1950, is a shopping mall located in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Park Royal is officially Canada's first covered shopping mall. Park Royal currently markets itself as five star shopping and has undergone significant changes to attain this...
South – West Vancouver
Alberta
- Pacific Place – CalgaryCalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
- Harvest Hills – Calgary
- West Edmonton MallWest Edmonton MallWest Edmonton Mall , located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is the largest shopping mall in North America and the fifth largest in the world. The mall was founded by the Ghermezian brothers, who emigrated from Iran in 1959. It was the world's largest mall until 2004.West Edmonton Mall covers a gross...
– EdmontonEdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census... - North Town CentreNorth Town CentreNorth Town Centre is a shopping centre located in the northern part of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The mall has recently undergone redevelopment that was completed in the summer of 2009 that included of retail and office space and more than 900 parking stalls...
– Edmonton
Ontario
- Promenade Shopping CentreThe Promenade Shopping Centre (Thornhill)The Promenade Shopping Centre is a shopping mall, located on Bathurst Street and Centre Street in the area of Thornhill in Vaughan, Ontario. It opened on August 4, 1986...
– VaughanVaughan, OntarioVaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern... - New Horizon Centre – MarkhamMarkham, OntarioMarkham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
- Milliken – ScarboroughScarborough, OntarioScarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
- Central Parkway and Mavis Road – Mississauga
- Cherry Street – Port LandsPort LandsThe Port Lands of Toronto, Ontario, Canada are an industrial and recreational neighbourhood located about 5 kilometres south-east of downtown, located on the former Don River delta and most of Ashbridge's Bay....
– (formerly Knob Hill FarmsKnob Hill FarmsKnob Hill Farms was a supermarket chain in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by Steve Stavro, and operated from 1951 to 2001.-Community grocery stores:...
) - Hunt Club Road and Riverside Drive – OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
- Yonge Street and Weldrick Road - Richmond HillRichmond Hill, OntarioRichmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
- The Mall at South Unionville Square, Markham (future location/not open yet, scheduled for 2011)
- Cachet Centre at 16th Ave and Woodbine Ave ,Markham (future location/not open yet, scheduled for 2011,used to be No FrillsNo Frills (grocery store)No Frills is a chain of deep discount supermarkets in Canada, owned by Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited...
)
Lawsuit of exploitation
The Tyee
The Tyee is an independent Canadian online web magazine, which focuses on coverage of news and media issues in British Columbia.The Tyee was launched in November 2003 by David Beers, a journalist who had previously been associated with the Vancouver Sun...
blog reported a case of a foreign temporary worker who had been exploited, and had his passport seized by T & T Supermarket. "In a notice of claim filed with the small claims division of the provincial court of B.C., Gui Qiang Zou claims he was pressured into working longer hours for lower wages than promised after the firm kept his passport and other key documents."