Seafood City Supermarket opened its first Arizona location July 30 in Chandler.
The store, just under 66,000 square feet in size, is an anchor at Chandler Fashion Center, located at 3111 W. Chandler Blvd. It is the largest store the company has opened to date.
The grand opening included a ceremonial ribbon cutting, Filipino cultural performances and exclusive merchandise, the grocer said.
Pomona, California-based Seafood City, which bills itself as North America’s largest Filipino supermarket, had targeted an early spring opening before the date moved to late July. The store carries thousands of Filipino, Asian and international grocery items spanning the Philippines, Japan, Korea, China, Thailand and Vietnam, alongside produce built around tropical fruit, Asian vegetables and fresh herbs, and a full-service meat department.
Seafood as the draw
The seafood department is the store’s centerpiece, with live lobster, crab, oysters, shrimp and whole fish, some flown in from Hawaii. Every seafood purchase includes cleaning and gutting at no charge, and customers can have their fish fried in store for free.
That service model, converting a fresh purchase into a prepared meal at no added cost, is the sort of thing conventional operators have struggled to match without adding labor cost to a low-margin department.
A food hall, not a deli
Prepared foods occupy 10,947 square feet of the store, with seating for more than 300, across eight concepts:
- Grill City, Filipino barbecue skewers grilled over open flame, plus baked salmon and crispy pork belly
- Slurp Alley, individual hot pots, noodle soups, dim sum and simmered broths
- Sizzle, cast iron plates over java rice, including beef bone marrow, ribeye and sisig
- Crispy Town, lechon, chicken skin, chicharon, crablets and bagnet
- Bakers Avenue, pandesal baked through the day plus ube pastries, cheese rolls and ensaymada
- Yelo Yelo, halo halo, shakes, soft serve and tropical coolers
- Kakanin Korner, traditional Filipino rice cakes including bibingka, puto and sapin sapin
The store also opened a Social Hall, an event space with surround-sound, large-screen displays and karaoke, catered from the food hall and available for birthdays, corporate meetings and community gatherings.
“Our goal has always been to bring people together through food and create a place where everyone feels welcome,” said Matt Go, president of Seafood City. “Whether you’re searching for familiar favorites or discovering something completely new, your journey to experiencing Asian flavors starts here at Seafood City.”
Customers also can earn points through the SFC+ rewards app, redeemable on groceries, meals and participating services.
Founded in National City, California, in 1989, Seafood City operates 39 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Its U.S. stores are concentrated in California, along with locations in Nevada, Hawaii, Washington, Illinois and Texas.
The company’s Sugar Land, Texas, store drew more than 3,000 customers a day after opening and pulled shoppers from beyond a 60-mile radius.