A former Lunds & Byerlys store in St. Paul, Minn., will become a Ha Tien grocery, a shift that is representative of the overall changes in the city’s demographics. The store will be one of the largest Asian markets in the Twin Cities and will carry Japanese, Mexican and African products. The owners also aim to open a restaurant in the store.
One analyst notes many ethnic grocery stores are beginning to acquire sites that were once home to traditional supermarkets. The Lunds & Byerlys store continued to experience declining sales in recent years, and ultimately closed in March 2016. Jim Hertel, senior vice president of Willard Bishop, notes larger grocery stores have a harder time expanding their ethnic sections and competing with specialty stores.
Ha Tien also offers hard-to-find fruits like makok from the Caribbean and pears from South Korea, as well as more untraditional meats, such as beef skin, chicken feet and an array of pig innards, reports Minneapolis Star Tribune. Full Story
Related: Kowalski’s Market Begins Major Remodel; Urban Farmers Spur Local Food Movement in the Twin Cities.