$25.5M Purchase Of Former Stamford Stop & Shop Property Reveals Potential Next Tenant

STAMFORD, CT — The former Stop & Shop at 41 Alvord Lane in Stamford sold for $25.5 million in October to an obscure LLC, according to city property transfer records, but the buyer could shed light on who the next tenant will be.

The buyer was listed as GSC RE Stamford LLC. CT business records list the principal of the LLC as Il Yeon Kwon, the founder and CEO of H Mart, the largest Asian supermarket chain in the United States.

The LLC address also traces back to H Mart's headquarters in Lyndhurst, N.J.

H Mart was founded in 1982 in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., and has now grown to around 100 stores across the U.S.

The closest H Mart location to Stamford is 20 miles away in Hartsdale, N.Y. There are no locations in Connecticut.

"H Mart is America's premier Asian food destination and provides groceries and everyday essential needs as well as upscale products," the company's website says. "H Mart offers a full line of Asian foods as well as a broad range of Western groceries to complement its full scale offering to that of a traditional supermarket. H Mart is also known for its innovative new food halls which are an extension of over 30 years of providing eateries in its stores."

The brand has also garnered popularity on social media platforms like TikTok, where users eat and review products they purchased from H Mart stores.

Kwon notes in a message on the company's website that the brand "has worked its best to provide quality Korean food and service to communities throughout the U.S."

"We have always supported the development of new communities with each Grand Opening. In doing so, we continue to do our best to establish ourselves as a company that reaches out with a helping hand," Kwon added.

"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. Our food is our pride, and through its quality we will do our absolute best to maintain our continuous movement towards providing our customers with the joy that comes from it.

The Stop & Shop location at 41 Alvord Lane closed in 2024.

Patch has reached out to H Mart for comment on a potential Stamford location, as well as to Stamford Director of Economic Development Leah Kagan.