A new H Mart location is set to open on 220 N. Broadway Ave. in Urbana on Jan. 16, 2025, Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin announced in a Facebook post.
The Urbana location will be the first of the Asian supermarket chain in downstate Illinois, with five H Mart locations in Chicagoland. The store will offer Asian and Western goods, home goods, a bakery, a food court and three Asian restaurants.
The $4.9 million project involved renovating a 20,000-square-foot building, which was previously a Save A Lot supermarket. Construction began in May and is expected to be completed on Dec. 18.
“H Mart is known for giving back to local communities and supporting nonprofit organizations and youth programs,” Marlin said in a press release. “And the fact that the company is renovating a former supermarket in the heart of our downtown will help revitalize our community.”
The store plans to hold a hiring event on-site in January. It is hiring cashiers, grocery associates, customer service associates and more. Job descriptions are posted on the H Mart website.
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“We have always supported the development of new communities with each Grand Opening,” said Il Yeon Kwon, founder and CEO of H Mart, on its website. “We continue to do our best to establish ourselves as a company that reaches out with a helping hand. As we expand, we like to think that we are reinventing the way people eat through our robust and unique food culture that also promotes a rich and healthy lifestyle to all.”
Andrea Ruedi, senior adviser for integrated strategy development for the City of Urbana, highlighted the community’s enthusiasm for the new grocery store and outlined upcoming changes in the area’s travel routes to accommodate traffic brought on by the new store.
“We’ve worked with MTD,” Ruedi said. “They’re going to be putting in a new bus shelter in front of the H Mart location. It is on the bus route anyway, but (MTD is) upgrading the bus stop in anticipation of the additional traffic that will be coming to H Mart.”
