Massive new Super G Mart to open in Pineville this summer

• While most international stores stick to products representing just a few regions, Super G Mart’s focus is more global.

Beyond offering food from all over the world, each store also has retail spaces for entrepreneurs that sell anything from cooking gadgets to bidets — and food stalls, which deliver banh mi, bibimbap, sweet treats, and more.

What’s happening: Super G, which has enjoyed great success on Independence Boulevard for years, is opening a much larger store in Pineville later this summer. It’ll be the store’s third location; they also have one in Greensboro.

• This one will be housed in a former Kmart across from Carolina Place Mall, and at 108,000 square feet it’ll be almost 50,000 square feet larger than the Independence location.
• The goal is to plug in new features to the expanded space, while debuting an elevated shopping experience, complete with fresh and modern interiors designed by local firm Cluck Design.

Why it matters: Think Optimist Hall but with an international flavor.

• The new store will allow Super G to expand their current offerings for both shoppers and entrepreneurs.
• The market will have a 25,000-square-foot food hall, with 14 food stalls ranging from 400 to 800 square feet. Not all leases are signed at this time, and a few tenants are determining their branding.

Other concepts that are already on board:

• Yume Ramen
• Sizzling – Japanese Pepper Lunch Concept (Writers note: Google “Pepper Lunch” and be prepared to drool.)
• Gong Cha – Taiwanese Bubble Tea
• Tous Les Jour – Korean/French Bakery
• Mochinut – Mochi Donuts and Korean Corn Dogs
• Honey Buns – Steamed Buns and Dumplings
• Mukja – Korean Street Food
• China House – Szechuan and HK style BBQ
• Korean Cuisine – Bibimbap, Spicy pork over rice, Bulgogi over rice, cupbop, and more

They’re still looking for tenants for Indian cuisine, sushi/poke, Vietnamese and Ethiopian food. Indian Cuisine. There are also eight 400-square-foot retail boutiques selling an assortment of consumer goods.

• A large HMR (Home Meal Replacement) section selling ready to eat, and ready to cook meals.

My thought bubble: One 2,870-square-foot full-service restaurant will be housed in the former Kmart Garden Center, which brought me back to my childhood. There is an opportunity for an outdoor patio should the chosen concept choose to utilize the space.

The big picture: Grocery stores became an even more important part of our daily lives during the pandemic — even when things were at their worst, our community supermarket was always there for us.

• Now they’ve rolled through supply chain issues, buying spreads, and the occasional dusting of snow.

Here’s one example of that community-building component that will be obvious in the new Super G Mart:

• The store will have a community space offering language and cooking classes, and other impactful activities. By creating spaces for cultural enrichment, and even international festivals, Super G Mart hope not only to help people learn and feel more connected, they hope to make their store a destination.

Details: 10500 Centrum Pkwy. The supermarket will open as soon as this summer, with a target date of June/July to begin operations.

• The food hall is facing delays with equipment and supply chain, and will open a few months later.