T&T Asian Supermarket's First Montreal Location: What We Know About The Opening Date

T&T, Canada's largest Asian supermarket chain, is set to open its first Quebec location by 2023. With an area of 6,500 square metres, the new T&T in Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough will be the biggest in the country.

T&T parent company Loblaw Companies Limited had planned for an early 2022 launch, but the opening of a vaccination clinic at the planned supermarket site at 300, avenue Sainte-Croix necessitated a postponement to December.

A T&T spokesperson told MTL Blog on July 28 that it still could not confirm an exact opening date. But updates shared on Instagram by T&T CEO Tina Lee offer at least some insight into construction and hiring progress.

Lee's June 22 update was particularly exciting. The Instagram post showed the CEO standing inside the future Montreal store alongside famed local chef Antonio Park. Fingers crossed for a collab.

T&T has also selected its Montreal management team, who, according to Lee, went to Toronto the week of July 4 for training.

Hiring was underway this summer to fill the approximately 300 positions T&T planned to create with the opening of its Montreal location. Lee said the company interviewed hundreds of applicants at its "first" local job fair in the week of July 11.

When Lee spoke to MTL Blog about the Montreal T&T in January, she teased an in-store bakery with fresh treats daily; hot food stations; "a row of fish tanks that have enough water in them to fill your backyard swimming pool;" otherwise difficult-to-track-down fruits, veggies and mushrooms; and a snack aisle with everything from salted egg yolk crisps to wasabi chips.

She also expressed interest in connecting with local Asian food manufacturers to sell their goods.