iFresh to Manage New Stores in Texas, California

Asian-American grocery chain iFresh will manage two new stores that opened earlier this month in El Monte, Calif., and Houston.

iFresh Harwin and iFresh El Monte entered into two management agreements with iFresh on Nov. 15 in which they will pay the company a fee for its management. Both stores are owned by Long Deng, chairman and CEO of iFresh, and will be managed under the iFresh name and team.

“iFresh Harwin and iFresh El Monte are parts of our new program pursuant to which iFresh manages stores owned by others in exchange for a management fee,” said Deng. “We are excited to bring iFresh’s signature commitment to daily fresh produce from regional farms at reasonable prices to Houston and El Monte. We are optimistic about the potential of these new stores and our new managed-store program.”

iFresh Harwin celebrated its grand opening on Nov. 18 at its 5708 S. Gessner Road location in Houston, and iFresh El Monte opened Nov. 22 at 11850 Valley Blvd. in El Monte. Both reside in lively neighborhoods featuring several restaurants, banks and salon spas.

Xiaoqing Liu, a famous Chinese actress, attended the opening ceremonies of the Houston and El Monte stores. “My experience reflects the history of new China, and the growth of iFresh reflects the history of Chinese supermarkets in America,” she said. “I am impressed by iFresh’s direct supply chain and comfortable shopping environment.”

Related:iFresh to Manage New Stores in Texas, California

With headquarters in New York, iFresh operates nine retail supermarkets in the U.S. and two in-house wholesale businesses located in cities with a highly concentrated Asian population. The company aims to meet the demands of Asian-Americans who seek fresh and culturally unique produce, seafood and other groceries that are not available in mainstream supermarkets.