What Lotte Plaza Market does

Lotte Plaza Market is a privately held chain of Asian and international supermarkets founded in 1989 in Rockville, Maryland, operating 17 stores across four East Coast states (6 in Maryland, 7 in Virginia, 1 in New Jersey, and 3 in Florida) with over 1,000 employees. Each store carries fresh produce, premium meats (including Berkshire pork, Angus, and Wagyu), fresh seafood, international groceries spanning Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic assortments, houseware, and — in most locations — an in-store food court with third-party cuisine tenants and a Snack Lab.

The company runs a captive logistics backbone through its wholly-owned subsidiary Sungwon Distributor LLC, which operates two large distribution centers in Jessup, Maryland (with combined footprint cited at over 180,000 sq ft and up to 250,000 sq ft on the "Our Story" page), enabling centralized supply of fresh and international products across the chain. Supporting infrastructure includes the Lotte Plus Rewards points-based loyalty program (1 point per $1 pre-tax, redeemable from 500 points = $5 up to 5,000 points = $50), gift cards sold at customer service desks, weekly state-specific sales, and an active vendor and food-court-tenant recruitment program.

The revenue model is direct-to-consumer retail grocery supplemented by food-court tenant lease income, gift card float, and loyalty-driven repeat visits. Go-to-market is multi-channel: physical retail is the primary engine, augmented by an e-commerce website (lotteplaza.com), a digital loyalty portal (plus.lotteplaza.com), and organic social media presence on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. The customer base is segmented across Korean, broader Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, and general consumer communities, with several stores specifically tailored to particular ethnic demographics.

Name

Lotte Plaza Market

Legal name

Lotte Plaza Market

Website

https://lotteplaza.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Lotte Plaza Market is a privately held, East Coast U.S. chain of 17 Asian and international supermarkets founded in 1989, serving Korean, South Asian, Hispanic, and broader diverse communities with fresh produce, premium meats, seafood, international groceries, and in-store food courts across MD, VA, NJ, and FL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Asian and International Grocery Retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Food Retail Counters (In-Store Butcher/Fish/Produce Counters) (CRAHAHAH)

Keywords

• Asian grocery retail
• International supermarket
• Fresh produce market
• Food court dining
• Loyalty rewards program

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Grocery Sales: The primary revenue stream is in-store retail sales of groceries, fresh produce, meats, seafood, and international specialty products. Customers shop directly at Lotte Plaza Market locations, paying at checkout for physical goods.
2. Food Court Tenant Leases: Lotte Plaza Market generates revenue by leasing food court space to third-party food operators. The company recruits established food operators (Korean fried chicken, K-Food, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Asian Fusion) to operate within the stores, creating a marketplace environment that drives foot traffic and generates rental/lease income.
3. Gift Card Sales: Gift cards are sold in $10, $20, $50, and $100 denominations at all store locations. Gift cards have no expiration date and can be redeemed for groceries across the Lotte Plaza Market chain.
4. Lotte Plus Rewards Program (Retention/Loyalty): The loyalty program drives repeat customer visits and higher basket size through a points-earning mechanism (1 point per $1 spent). Points expire after 1 year of inactivity, encouraging sustained engagement and recurring in-store purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lotte Plaza Market operates a chain of physical retail supermarkets that sell Asian and international groceries, fresh produce, meat, seafood, and houseware products directly to consumers. The stores also feature in-store food courts run by independent tenant operators and operate a customer loyalty program (Lotte Plus Rewards) and gift card program that support repeat visits. The company is positioned as the largest Asian supermarket chain in the Washington DC metropolitan area and runs an affiliated distribution arm (Sungwon Distributor) to supply its store inventory.

Product overview

Lotte Plaza Market is a single-format retail chain operating 17 Asian and international supermarket locations across Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and Florida, with a core product of fresh groceries organized into five main categories: Produce, Meat, Seafood, Groceries, and Houseware. The company operates its own distribution network through Sungwon Distributor LLC, which operates two facilities totaling over 250,000 square feet. Supporting the retail operations are Food Courts at most store locations, the Lotte Plus Rewards loyalty program, Gift Cards, and promotional Weekly Sales and Special Deals. The company also maintains B2B services including a Vendor Partnership Program for suppliers and a Food Court Tenant Program for food operators, with no modular or add-on product architecture—everything is centered on the supermarket chain and its supporting services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sungwon Distributor: The company's internal logistics and distribution subsidiary handling product distribution to all Lotte Plaza Market stores.
• Lotte Plus Rewards

Products and services

• Retail grocery store operations (Asian and international groceries) Company-operated physical supermarkets that sell Asian and international groceries, fresh produce, meat, seafood, and houseware products directly to consumers across approximately 17 East Coast locations, with the largest concentration in the Washington DC metropolitan area.
• Lotte Plus Rewards loyalty program
• Gift cards
• In-store food court (tenant-operated)
• Weekly sales and special deals
• Vendor and supplier partnership program

Quantifiable outcome

• Operates 17 stores across 4 states on the East Coast
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sungwon Distributor LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSungwon Distributor LLC is the exclusive logistics and distribution partner for Lotte Plaza Market. Operating two large facilities in Jessup, MD — Sungwon 1 (HQ, 8106 Stayton Dr.) and Sungwon 2 (8241 Sandy Ct., approx. 130,000 sq ft) — the company reliably supplies high-quality international products from Korea, China, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, and the Middle East to all 17 Lotte Plaza Market locations. The distribution network spans over 180,000 square feet combined, enabling consistent product availability and competitive pricing.
• Food Court Tenant OperatorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLotte Plaza Market partners with independent food operators to populate its in-store food courts across all 17 locations. Cuisines include Korean Fried Chicken, K-Food, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino/Southeast Asian, Indian/Pakistani (South Asian), and Asian Fusion. The company actively recruits established operators through a formal vendor application process and requires compliance with health department, city, and county regulations, as well as mandatory insurance coverage (General Liability, Workers' Compensation, Property Insurance).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mitsuwa Marketplace: Mitsuwa Marketplace operates Japanese-focused supermarkets and food courts on the East Coast (including NJ) with an analogous combination of fresh Asian groceries, prepared foods, and in-store dining tenants. It targets overlapping Japanese and pan-Asian customer segments.
• 99 Ranch Market: 99 Ranch Market is a major pan-Asian supermarket chain owned by T&T Supermarkets (Canada), operating across the U.S. with similar broad Asian assortment spanning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Southeast Asian products. It directly competes in the multi-ethnic full-service grocery format.
• Patel Brothers: Patel Brothers is the largest Indian grocery chain in the U.S., operating 50+ stores across multiple states with deep assortment in Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian products. It directly serves the same South Asian and Middle Eastern customer segments that Lotte Plaza Market targets in stores like Herndon, Ashburn, and Catonsville.
• H Mart: H Mart is the largest Korean-American supermarket chain in the U.S., operating 80+ stores nationwide with a similar assortment of Asian groceries, fresh produce, meat/seafood, and houseware. It is Lotte Plaza Market's most direct large-scale competitor, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic.
• NetCost Market: NetCost Market is a multi-format international supermarket chain in the New York/New Jersey area focused on Eastern European and international products. It is comparable as an independent, ethnic-focused grocery operator with similar in-store food service offerings and NJ market overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Wegmans: Wegmans is a major East Coast supermarket chain with strong presence in Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey — overlapping with most of Lotte Plaza Market's footprint. While not focused on Asian/international products, it competes for mainstream grocery basket share in the same trade areas.
• Harris Teeter: Harris Teeter is a regional supermarket chain operating across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, including Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas. It competes with Lotte Plaza Market for mainstream grocery basket in overlapping suburban trade areas.
• Whole Foods Market: Whole Foods Market is a national premium/specialty grocery chain with stores throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Florida, competing with Lotte Plaza Market for fresh, premium-positioned grocery baskets among affluent consumers in overlapping trade areas.
• Trader Joe's: Trader Joe's is a national specialty/value grocery chain with broad East Coast and Florida presence, competing for the same value-conscious, quality-seeking shopper profile that Lotte Plaza Market serves in its international assortment categories.
• Giant Food: Giant Food operates supermarkets throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C., with strong overlap to Lotte Plaza Market's core Mid-Atlantic footprint. It represents the mainstream grocery incumbent competing for the general weekly shop in the same communities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lotteplazamarket
• Instagraminstagram.com/lotteplazamarket
• TikToktiktok.com/@lotteplaza
• Xx.com/LottePlazaM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lotte-plaza-market

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lotte Plaza Market