49 workers lose jobs as 99 Ranch Market shuts Chino warehouse

Tawa Supermarket Inc. filed a notice with the California Employment Development Department on Oct. 26 stating it will lay off 49 employees when its Chino store closes on Nov. 15. The closure affects the Chino Spectrum Marketplace location, which operates as a Cravings Food Village. This specific format combined a warehouse-style grocery store with an Asian-styled food hall and dining area.

The Chino store opened in 2018 and took over the space formerly occupied by a Food 4 Less grocery store at 4024 Grand Ave. The location featured a hot deli, a Taiwanese bakery, and multiple communal dining spaces. It was the first Inland Empire store to adopt this hybrid retail and dining model.

Lily Mao, the company's director of human resources, confirmed the timeline in the regulatory filing. Tawa did not respond to requests for comment regarding whether it is scaling back the Cravings concept, which it also operates at a location in Eastvale. The chain maintains another 99 Ranch Market store in Chino at 2959 Chino Ave, which is approximately 2 miles from the closing site.

The Chino layoffs are not an isolated event. Tawa announced plans to cut 54 jobs at a store in Pleasanton that will close by Dec. 5. These notices were filed under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, often called WARN. This law requires employers to provide advance notice when they lay off more than 50 employees.

Tawa, the parent company of 99 Ranch Market, was founded in 1984 by Roger Chen. The company is now led by his children, Alice Chen, the chief executive officer, and Jonson Chen, the chairman. The supermarket chain specializes in Asian pantry goods, produce, fish, meat, and bakery items. It lists 24 stores in Southern California and 18 in Northern California.

The company employs between 5,000 and 10,000 people, according to LinkedIn. It holds a dominant position in the Asian grocery market in California. In June, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against the chain. The agency alleged that Tawa discriminated against non-Chinese workers by failing to promote them, paying them less, and scheduling them for fewer hours than their Chinese counterparts.

The EEOC lawsuit stated that some non-Chinese workers resigned because they felt they had no other choice. The suit indicated that alleged problems began in 2015 when the vice president of human resources hired non-Chinese managers for roles such as district managers and store managers. The agency claimed the company later terminated these recently hired managers at multiple locations.