When Japan’s largest grocer sells its first-ever Korean grocery store

Posted On July 3, 2021

The world’s largest grocery chain is hoping its first Korean grocery, slated to open next month, will spark an explosion of interest in the region.

J.C. Penney Group Inc., based in San Francisco, has teamed up with a Korean grocery chain to open a store in southern Japan that will feature a large Korean-style grocery store.

The J.C., which operates around the world, has not yet announced pricing or opening times for the new store, but said in a statement it expects the store to sell food from about a dozen Korean grocery chains.

“The J. C. Penneys store is the first Korean-owned grocery store in Japan,” said Yoshinori Kobayashi, chief executive of J. J. Penick Co., a joint venture between the company and the Korea Co-operative Group.

“Its location in a small town in Japan and its extensive Korean-language materials make it a good location for our company to launch its first retail store in Korea.”

The store will open in September and be staffed by Korean-speaking staff.