A Chino, California location of 99 Ranch Market, described as the largest Asian supermarket chain in the United States, is scheduled to close on November 15. The closure will result in the layoff of 49 employees at the store.
The company's parent, Tawa Supermarket, Inc., filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) on October 26. The WARN Act requires employers to provide at least 60 days' notice before mass layoffs or plant closures, though exceptions exist if the company cannot provide such notice, requiring a written explanation. The Chino store's closure date falls within 20 days of the filing date.
99 Ranch Market, headquartered in Buena Park, operates 66 stores across 11 states, with 43 of those locations in California. This closure comes amidst reports of other grocery chains ceasing operations in California.
Earlier this year, the company was the subject of a federal lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The lawsuit alleged that 99 Ranch Market discriminated against non-Chinese workers by assigning them fewer hours than employees of Chinese origin and by not promoting deserving employees based on their ethnicity. The EEOC stated that while the market has Asian origins, founded by Taiwanese immigrant Roger Chen in 1984, it cannot discriminate against employees based on their national origin.
The layoffs at the Chino store are part of a broader trend of workforce reductions. In San Bernardino County, Myers Power Products, Inc., based in Ontario, filed a WARN notice affecting 206 employees. Additionally, the Bay Area-based e-commerce company eBay has announced multiple rounds of layoffs this year, impacting nearly 700 employees.