Welcome to the show

Why Uwajimaya is more than just your neighborhood grocery store

If you stop by the Uwajimaya flagship grocery store in Seattle, you might walk right up to the line of calling it a tourist stop, especially in a city filled with such a rich culture of art, music, food and history. But there you are, standing outside one of the largest Pacific Northwest Asian grocery store retailers and, well, it’s like a tourist stop.

Founded in 1928 by Fujimatsu Moriguchi in Tacoma, Washington, Uwajimaya grew from selling fish cakes out of the back of Moriguchi’s truck into a chain of stores across the Pacific Northwest. Two generations later, the store remains in the Moriguchi family (it is run by Denise Moriguchi, his granddaughter). With locations in Seattle, Bellevue, Renton and Beaverton, Oregon, Uwajimaya has worked in partnership with Cushing Terrell to reimagine its future, i.e., the flagship tourist stop that continues to wow Seattle shoppers. How? For starters, Uwajimaya’s flagship store focuses on the new shopper experience while remaining loyal to its regulars. The mission involved revamping fixture planning to create a new layout for the store that improved sightlines and overall navigation. The end result is a layout that invites shoppers to experience new Asian foods and flavors. We sat down with Miye Moriguchi, Real Estate & Facilities Manager, and also Fujimatsu’s granddaughter, to get her thoughts on where the Uwajimaya brand is heading.

Being a 90-plus year-old company that has spanned three generations of leadership, we are looking to strengthen and grow our brand and invest in our people.

Give a snapshot of the brand.

Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. It was founded in 1928 as a go-to for Asian grocery staples, but has since evolved beyond providing basic grocery items and become the destination to experience Asian food culture. We strive to be the go-to destination to learn about and share the best of Asian food and flavors through authentic goods and experiences.

Tell us a little about your history.

In 1928, Fujimatsu Moriguchi, a native of Japan, began a small business in Tacoma, Washington, selling homemade fishcakes and other Japanese staples out of the back of his truck to the laborers working in the area. Eventually, Moriguchi took his operation from the truck to a storefront, which he called Uwajimaya after the town of Uwajima where he learned his trade (“ya” in Japanese means store). The store closed only once over the course of its long history, when Moriguchi and his family were sent to the Tule Lake, California internment camp during World War II. Upon returning to the Puget Sound region, Moriguchi moved his store to Seattle where it has flourished, grown, and evolved to be the premier Japanese grocery supermarket in the Pacific Northwest. The Uwajimaya brand, represented visually by the logo, is a reflection on past and present, old and new, certainty and new adventures, what was and what is to come. What’s the coolest thing customers can expect to see?

The store’s interior features a number of unique lighting fixtures and graphic art components. These interior elements are not what one might expect to see in a grocery store, and they provide a very interesting, high-end visual experience for Uwajimaya’s guests. A standout example includes the sashimi bar, central to the store’s seafood section and identifiable by it has vertically LED-lit sign and spherical overhead pendant lighting.

What will be the biggest surprise?

The Bussanten space—akin to a fair, showcasing goods and specialties—is located near the food demonstration station

and may be the store’s most surprising feature. Uwajimaya works with vendors from certain cities or regions in Japan to feature the specialty foods and products from that region. The space can also be used for other promotional displays. The Bussanten brings the feeling of an Asian street market into the store experience.

What are the trends in the supermarket retail sector?

The supermarket sector has experienced a shift in recent years toward providing more than just a shopping experience, but also a food discovery experience. This includes an increased tendency to incorporate prepared foods, demonstration/creativity zones, (prepared foods and new food experiences perfectly align with Uwajimaya’s model, which was founded upon and continues to prioritize these concepts), and gathering areas. In having weathered the pandemic, there is an even greater emphasis on this today. Supermarkets have gained renewed importance as critical, community hubs. Why did you pick the location for the construction?

Uwajimaya’s historic Chinatown-International District flagship store was selected as the first of our ongoing store remodels because it has been our home for more than 70 years. In fact, there have been two other locations of Uwajimaya within the neighborhood. It was the clear place to start as the flagship store, with high volume and high visibility and as part of the 20-year milestone celebration of that location.

How does the overall design cater to what the area needs?

Goals of the design included modernizing the 20-year-old store to keep pace with the new world of experiential retail and celebrate the store’s unique products from Asian-inspired produce, meat and seafood offerings. In addition, the store layout was revised to encourage exploration and easier in-store navigation without losing the Uwajimaya character longtime loyalists know and love.

Did you work with any focus groups on the design?

Knowing that the redesign had implications beyond aesthetic updates to the well-worn 59,416-square-foot store, the design team worked with a cultural anthropologist, who interviewed shoppers—occasional and loyal alike—and talked extensively with the Uwajimaya family, and both loyal and new shoppers to discover what was most meaningful to their shopping experience.

The Bussanten space—akin to a fair, showcasing goods and specialties—is located near the food demonstration station and may be the store’s most surprising feature.

The insights gained were applied to thoughtful, impactful changes to the store environment without departing from Uwajimaya’s beloved and unique character.

What are today’s customers looking for?

We are hoping that Uwajimaya can bring both ease and delight to our customers— whether that is making it easy to find the ingredients for a healthy, familiar homecooked meal or allowing them to learn about Asian food and culture in a new way.

What’s the brand’s short-term strategy? Long-term?

Being a 90-plus year-old company that has spanned three generations of leadership, we are looking to strengthen and grow our brand and invest in our people. Right now, it is about building upon our legacy to create a strong foundation so that we can continue to grow.

What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business?

Largely pandemic-related issues such as rapidly increasing costs and supply chain issues. But also for our stores pursuing occupied remodels—going through a big construction project while keeping the store open and customers satisfied.

Talk about the continued importance of sustainability today.

Grocery stores are very heavy on MEP usage. Upgrading our refrigeration systems, HVAC systems and lighting goes a long way, so we are making a concerted effort on all of those fronts.

What type of opportunities do you see moving ahead?

Continuing to build our brand and creating an unforgettable experience so that we grow our loyal customers. We have many customers who have shopped with their families as young kids and now bring their kids and grandkids to the store. We want to make sure we take care of them and give them the experience and quality they expect while attracting new customers.

What type of challenges have you seen?

Like many businesses, we are affected by supply chain and difficult labor markets. Being on the front line, our team has been through a lot in the last few years. They are dedicated and resilient and we want to support them best we can.

What changes do you expect to see for the second half of 2022 and into 2023?

Continued impacts from the pandemic, including inflation and rising costs. Mental health and well-being is a huge concern. Hopefully we can bring a sense of comfort through reliable, quality food.. CCR