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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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Retail Insider<\/em>, Linda Dang, CEO of Sukoshi Mart, shared insight into the brand\u2019s rapid growth and evolving identity. \u201cWe\u2019ve had rapid expansion both in Canada and now in the U.S.,\u201d said Dang. \u201cOur 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Founded in 2018 as a small store in Toronto\u2019s Kensington Market, Sukoshi Mart began as a modest operation offering a mix of Asian snacks, lifestyle products, and beauty goods. The name \u201cSukoshi,\u201d meaning \u201ca little\u201d in Japanese, reflected its goal to bring a curated selection of trendy items from Asia to Western audiences.<\/p>\n From that single \u201chole-in-the-wall\u201d 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.<\/p>\n The brand\u2019s Canadian expansion has been accompanied by equally strong momentum abroad. \u201cWe\u2019ve been saturating the Montreal market,\u201d said Dang. \u201cWe opened stores in Royalmount, Laval, and Brossard, and then we just launched in New York\u2019s Upper East Side. We\u2019re also opening in Miami, Washington, Atlanta, and Pennsylvania.\u201d<\/p>\n Sukoshi Mart\u2019s approach to U.S. growth is focused on location quality rather than quantity. The retailer is deliberately selecting A-class shopping centres \u2014 those that attract high-end tenants and affluent shoppers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re opening in some of the most desirable malls in each region,\u201d explained Dang. \u201cThat includes Aventura Mall in Miami Florida, Bellevue Square in Washington, Lenox Square in Atlanta, and King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the new stores have new fixtures, a new colour palette, new displays, and a beauty stand,\u201d said Dang. \u201cWe\u2019re rebranding with the name Sukoshi because our focus is now beauty. It\u2019s no longer really a \u2018mart.\u2019 We still offer lifestyle items and collectibles, but beauty is now at the heart of the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n The shift is part of Sukoshi Mart\u2019s 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\u2019s shelves. \u201cK-beauty brands are excellent at marketing and packaging, which makes them popular with Western consumers,\u201d she said. \u201cJ-beauty products are equally high quality but less marketed to this audience, which makes them underrated. We\u2019re proud to bring them together in one space.\u201d<\/p>\n While the company remains rooted in Canada, Sukoshi Mart\u2019s ambitions now stretch across borders. Dang noted that international online sales have grown alongside its physical expansion.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time we open a store, we do a lot of events and promotions that help saturate the market,\u201d she said. \u201cEven if customers aren\u2019t near a physical location, they become aware of who we are, what we sell, and then that translates into online sales.\u201d<\/p>\n Sukoshi Mart also differentiates between its online and in-store offerings. \u201cWe strategically align promotions differently,\u201d said Dang. \u201cSome 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\u2019t yet have stores.\u201d<\/p>\n The company\u2019s e-commerce platform now reaches customers globally, including in Europe. \u201cOur advent calendar of K-beauty items is selling well in Italy, Spain, the UK, and Poland,\u201d said Dang. \u201cWe\u2019re proud that a Canadian brand can serve customers around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Another distinguishing feature of Sukoshi Mart\u2019s success is its leadership and workforce composition. \u201cWe\u2019re a Canadian brand, and our entire team is predominantly women under 37,\u201d said Dang. \u201cWe\u2019re really proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n This youthful, dynamic energy has shaped the brand\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Dang added that the company\u2019s leadership team remains deeply involved in all aspects of the business, from design to customer engagement. \u201cWe try to make the stores experiential, fun, and approachable,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about creating a space where people want to spend time, not just shop.\u201d<\/p>\n Sukoshi Mart\u2019s physical expansion coincides with a robust digital presence, and Dang emphasized the interplay between the two. \u201cWhen we enter a new market, it doesn\u2019t just drive store sales,\u201d she said. \u201cWe see a boost in online orders from that region as well.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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. \u201cEvery opening is an event,\u201d she noted. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about selling products, it\u2019s about building community.\u201d<\/p>\n With 15 stores currently operating, Sukoshi Mart plans to reach around 40 stores by next year, according to Dang. \u201cWe open at least one or two stores a month,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s rapid expansion.\u201d<\/p>\n This pace of growth places Sukoshi Mart among Canada\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The expansion strategy remains guided by a combination of strong analytics and instinct for emerging markets. As Dang explained, \u201cWe\u2019ve always grown organically by listening to what our customers want, seeing where demand is strongest, and choosing our next move based on that.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/retailinsider.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2025-10-07T224626.684.png\")
Strategic U.S. Expansion Targets Premier Malls<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Rebranding: From \u201cSukoshi Mart\u201d to \u201cSukoshi\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Expanding Beyond Canada\u2019s Borders<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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A Young, Female-Led Team Driving Growth<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The Next Chapter: Scaling Rapidly<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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