# Urban Pan-Asian Grocers H Mart Continues to Expand with a New Opening in Chicago By Ell Smith | Published 2018-02-22 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/h-mart References: [chicago.eater](https://chicago.eater.com/2018/2/1/16960596/h-mart-chicago-korean-supermarket-open-sgd-tofu-house) & [chicago.eater](https://chicago.eater.com/venue/41234/h-mart) H Mart, a pan-Asian market with locations throughout North America and London has just opened it's first center in the city of Chicago, offering fresh groceries and delicious made-to-order food while serving as a cultural hub for the city's large Asian-American population. The location features a place to purchase groceries while also housing a variety of restaurant stalls that serve up authentic Asian cuisine, like sushi, ramen, dumplings. To promote H Mart's urban opening, the location invited the city's inhabitants to an energetic celebration, which featured traditional Korean dances, a tea ceremony and a ribbon cutting. In addition to H Mart's Chicago opening, the marketplace is set to open another location in Austin, Texas later this month. Image Credit: Barry Brecheisen, ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.9/10 - Popularity: 40% | Activity: 8% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Food](https://www.trendhunter.com/food) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Pan-asian Market Expansion:** Opportunities for pan-Asian grocery retailers to expand into new urban markets and increase cultural awareness through community events like H Mart's celebration in Chicago. - **Restaurant and Grocery Hybrid:** Increasing trend of grocery stores adding in-store restaurants and made-to-order food stalls to create immersive shopping experience for customers. - **Cultural Connectivity:** Cultural-focused stores and events that foster connectivity with local communities can differentiate urban retailers and attract customers seeking authentic and diverse experiences. ### Who This Affects Most - **Retail Grocery:** Retail grocery stores can innovate by adding in-house restaurants and cultural events to create a more engaging and immersive shopping experience for customers. - **Restaurant:** Restaurants can explore new avenues by partnering with grocery stores to create hybrid spaces and offer their cuisine in a retail setting. - **Event Planning:** Event planners can focus on creating cultural events that can attract and connect communities with urban retailers for mutually beneficial outcomes. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Retailer-Opened Food Markets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/muji-food-market-1.md) - [Omnicategory Asian Food Markets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seven-fresh.md) - [Bao Brand Grocery Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wow-bao-1.md) - [Neighborhood Retail Concepts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hasty-market.md) - [Virtual Kitchen Gorcery Partnerships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kitchen-hub-2.md) - [Frozen Dumpling Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/taste-the-hype.md) - [Hybrid Community Supermarkets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-after-market.md) - [Grab-And-Go Supermarket Foods](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sister-sister-kitchen-meals.md) - [Immersive Cultural Restaurants](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/superfresh.md)