Canadian retailer Sukoshi Mart is accelerating its North American expansion with a slate of new store openings in Canada and the United States, targeting some of the continent’s most prestigious shopping centres. The brand, founded in Toronto and headquartered in Mississauga, is quickly becoming a household name among fans of Asian beauty, collectibles, and K-pop merchandise.
In an interview with Retail Insider, Linda Dang, CEO of Sukoshi Mart, shared insight into the brand’s rapid growth and evolving identity. “We’ve had rapid expansion both in Canada and now in the U.S.,” said Dang. “Our focus for now until the end of the year is the U.S. as well, but we continue to be proudly Canadian, with our head office and full team based here.”
Founded in 2018 as a small store in Toronto’s Kensington Market, Sukoshi Mart began as a modest operation offering a mix of Asian snacks, lifestyle products, and beauty goods. The name “Sukoshi,” meaning “a little” in Japanese, reflected its goal to bring a curated selection of trendy items from Asia to Western audiences.
From that single “hole-in-the-wall” shop, the company has grown into one of the fastest-rising Canadian retail stories of the decade. It now operates more than a dozen permanent locations in Canada, including CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, Scarborough Town Centre, CF Markville in Markham, CF Fairview Mall in North York, Upper Canada Mall, and CF Rideau Centre in Ottawa, where it opened a flagship store in 2024 spanning over 4,300 square feet.
The brand’s Canadian expansion has been accompanied by equally strong momentum abroad. “We’ve been saturating the Montreal market,” said Dang. “We opened stores in Royalmount, Laval, and Brossard, and then we just launched in New York’s Upper East Side. We’re also opening in Miami, Washington, Atlanta, and Pennsylvania.”
Strategic U.S. Expansion Targets Premier Malls
Sukoshi Mart’s approach to U.S. growth is focused on location quality rather than quantity. The retailer is deliberately selecting A-class shopping centres — those that attract high-end tenants and affluent shoppers.
“We’re opening in some of the most desirable malls in each region,” explained Dang. “That includes Aventura Mall in Miami Florida, Bellevue Square in Washington, Lenox Square in Atlanta, and King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania.”
These destinations represent some of the most valuable mall properties in the United States, drawing millions of annual visitors. By securing prime retail space in such centres, Sukoshi Mart positions itself alongside globally recognized brands while maintaining its distinctive identity as a Canadian-founded retailer specializing in Asian beauty and culture.
Rebranding: From “Sukoshi Mart” to “Sukoshi”
As part of its evolution, the company is undergoing a significant rebrand. Its newest stores will adopt the name Sukoshi, reflecting a refined focus on beauty and lifestyle.
“All the new stores have new fixtures, a new colour palette, new displays, and a beauty stand,” said Dang. “We’re rebranding with the name Sukoshi because our focus is now beauty. It’s no longer really a ‘mart.’ We still offer lifestyle items and collectibles, but beauty is now at the heart of the brand.”
The shift is part of Sukoshi Mart’s effort to align with growing Western interest in K-beauty, J-beauty, and C-beauty products. Dang explained that each category brings its own strengths to the brand’s shelves. “K-beauty brands are excellent at marketing and packaging, which makes them popular with Western consumers,” she said. “J-beauty products are equally high quality but less marketed to this audience, which makes them underrated. We’re proud to bring them together in one space.”
Expanding Beyond Canada’s Borders
While the company remains rooted in Canada, Sukoshi Mart’s ambitions now stretch across borders. Dang noted that international online sales have grown alongside its physical expansion.
“Every time we open a store, we do a lot of events and promotions that help saturate the market,” she said. “Even if customers aren’t near a physical location, they become aware of who we are, what we sell, and then that translates into online sales.”
Sukoshi Mart also differentiates between its online and in-store offerings. “We strategically align promotions differently,” said Dang. “Some launches are exclusively online, like limited-edition collectibles or popular beauty items such as Sonny Angels, which helps keep engagement high even in markets where we don’t yet have stores.”
The company’s e-commerce platform now reaches customers globally, including in Europe. “Our advent calendar of K-beauty items is selling well in Italy, Spain, the UK, and Poland,” said Dang. “We’re proud that a Canadian brand can serve customers around the world.”
A Young, Female-Led Team Driving Growth
Another distinguishing feature of Sukoshi Mart’s success is its leadership and workforce composition. “We’re a Canadian brand, and our entire team is predominantly women under 37,” said Dang. “We’re really proud of that.”
This youthful, dynamic energy has shaped the brand’s visual identity and marketing tone, appealing to Gen Z and millennial consumers drawn to both Asian pop culture and clean, minimalist store design. The rebrand to Sukoshi reflects this evolution, with new stores featuring modern interiors, pastel tones, and organized product zones designed for discovery and social sharing.
Dang added that the company’s leadership team remains deeply involved in all aspects of the business, from design to customer engagement. “We try to make the stores experiential, fun, and approachable,” she said. “It’s about creating a space where people want to spend time, not just shop.”
Balancing Physical and Digital Retail
Sukoshi Mart’s physical expansion coincides with a robust digital presence, and Dang emphasized the interplay between the two. “When we enter a new market, it doesn’t just drive store sales,” she said. “We see a boost in online orders from that region as well.”
This reflects a broader trend in omnichannel retailing, where physical stores act as brand awareness engines that fuel digital growth. For Sukoshi Mart, the expansion serves both purposes, providing immersive brand experiences in person and strengthening brand recognition online.
According to Dang, this strategy is particularly effective in major markets like Toronto, Montreal, and New York City, where strong social media visibility and local influencer engagement amplify store openings. “Every opening is an event,” she noted. “It’s not just about selling products, it’s about building community.”
The Next Chapter: Scaling Rapidly
With 15 stores currently operating, Sukoshi Mart plans to reach around 40 stores by next year, according to Dang. “We open at least one or two stores a month,” she said. “It’s rapid expansion.”
This pace of growth places Sukoshi Mart among Canada’s fastest-growing retail brands, particularly in the beauty and lifestyle categories. It also signals a shift in Canadian retail toward homegrown brands expanding globally rather than the other way around.
The expansion strategy remains guided by a combination of strong analytics and instinct for emerging markets. As Dang explained, “We’ve always grown organically by listening to what our customers want, seeing where demand is strongest, and choosing our next move based on that.”
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