Shun Fat Supermarket

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Shun Fat Supermarket (Traditional Chinese: 順發超級市場; Simplified Chinese: 顺发超级市场; pinyin: Shùnfā Chāojíshìcháng; Cantonese Yale: seuhn faat chīu kāp síh chèuhng; Vietnamese: Siêu Thị Thuận Phát; also known as SF Supermarket) is a small, but growing, Chinese Vietnamese American supermarket chain in the San Gabriel Valley region in California, Sacramento, California, San Pablo, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Its first store was opened in the premier Chinese American suburban community of Monterey Park, California. In 2005, Hieu Tai Tran of Shun Fat Supermarket opened a 105,000-square-foot megastore in the Little Saigon of Westminster, California, joining the already highly-competitive Vietnamese supermarket commerce in the community.^[1]

The Asian supermarket chain sells imported grocery items from Asia - particularly Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam - and also a few mainstream American brands as well. Most of its locations tend to be in newer suburban Chinatowns as well as in developing ethnic Vietnamese American commercial districts. However selection at each location may differ as most store are focus on chinese customers from vietnam, but Rowland Height location cater to immigrants from Taiwan.

Contrary to popular belief, the name does not mean "avoid fat". "Shun Fat" is the romanized transcription of 顺发 in Cantonese, which means prosperity. In addition, the "t" in "shun fat" is a voiceless stop. Thus "shun fat", in Cantonese, would be pronounced "soon fa". Shun fa (順發) in the Chinese language and thuận phát in Vietnamese language both mean "favorable distribution" (of wealth). The name Shun Fat was lampooned by YouTube celebrity Tony Huynh (thewinekone) in one video, explaining that the market has no doors at the front entrance because they "shun fat" (In actuality, the doors are located on each side of the market).^{[citation needed]}

Shun Fat Supermarket was started in the mid-1990s by a Chinese Vietnamese entrepreneur and seafood wholesaler named Hieu Tran. He is the owner of the H&T Seafood, which is based in the city of Bell, California, and, as of 2007, Tran has been appointed as chairman of the board of director of the Westminster, California-based Saigon National Bank. The market chain competes mainly with 99 Ranch Market and Hong Kong Supermarket. Like these two supermarket chains, Shun Fat Supermarket usually serves as a major anchor in some Asian shopping centers and strip malls, which in some cases have been renovated extensively by Hieu Tran. The San Gabriel Superstore is uniquely a Chinese hypermarket as it sells clothing and small electronics in addition to groceries, although these stalls are operated by independent vendors with separate payment.

In August 2006, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the Westminster Superstore recently in the heavily Vietnamese community of Westminster, California.

[edit] Locations

Pacific Asian Plaza - Las Vegas, Nevada (Chinatown, Las Vegas) - newly built
Mar Plaza - Monterey Park, California - replaced previous Chinese supermarkets - replaced a Vons
Pacific Square on Colima Road - Rowland Heights, California - replaced a Vons
South Gate Plaza on Mack Road - Sacramento, California - replaced a Ralphs
Pacific Plaza - Sacramento, California
San Gabriel Superstore - San Gabriel, California - replaced a Target
San Pablo Marketplace - San Pablo, California
Westminster Superstore - Westminster, California - replaced a K-Mart
West & Hammer lane Plaza - Stockton, California - replaced a Save Mart