99 Ranch Cuts 103 Jobs as California Grocery Competition Widens

Tawa Supermarket Inc., parent company of 99 Ranch Market, filed two layoff notices Monday that will end 103 jobs across California before the year closes. The Chino store at 4024 Grand Ave. shuts Nov. 15, cutting 49 positions. The Pleasanton location at 4299 Rosewood Drive follows on Dec. 5, eliminating another 54.

The Buena Park-headquartered chain said the closures will "optimize our store network and allocate resources more effectively to better serve our customers." 99 Ranch operates more than 60 stores across 11 states, with most in California. The company has not announced other closures.

The cuts land as rival grocers push deeper into the state. H Mart, a Korean American chain, plans a 100,000-square-foot, two-level Fremont store with a food hall and bar. Jagalchi, a Korean market in Daly City, opened last year with a 75,000-square-foot supermarket offering fresh seafood, a bakery, a K-beauty section and sit-down dining. T&T Supermarket, based in Canada, opened a 55,000-square-foot San Jose store in June and plans locations in San Francisco and Millbrae.

Grocery Outlet told investors in March it would close 36 stores it considered underperforming, six of them in Southern California. That same month marked 99 Ranch's most recent opening, a second Las Vegas store in the Summerlin neighborhood.

The layoffs proceed while the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission pursues a discrimination case against Tawa Supermarket. The agency sued in June, alleging the company "violated federal law when it fired and otherwise discriminated against non-Chinese workers based on their national origin." Tawa has said the claims lack merit and said it will contest them. No ruling or settlement has been issued.

Roger Chen, a Taiwanese immigrant, founded 99 Ranch Market in 1984 and opened the first store in Westminster. His children, Alice and Jonson Chen, now oversee the chain's national expansion.