Peter Han is turning a family grocery store into a ‘cultural hub’ in Charlotte

The 29-year-old Peter Han, vice president of business development for Super G Mart, joined the family grocery store business in the fall of 2020 during the pandemic. The international grocer Super G Mart currently has two locations: one in Greensboro and one in Charlotte on Independence Boulevard. It’s newest one is opening soon in Pineville.

Han works beside his mother and CEO, Irene Han; brother and general manager Paul Han; and his wife, Minji, who helps with marketing. The Hans have owned Super G for 10 years.

Peter Han’s role was to improve internal processes to make them more efficient. But he’s been pivotal in Super G Mart’s expansion and opening of their third, and largest store, in Pineville.

“He just made it happen,” Irene Han told The Charlotte Observer.

The 108,000-square-feet store, a little less than two football fields in size, will also include a 25,000-square-foot food hall, full-service restaurant, community center and space for other retail businesses. The goal: to become a “cultural hub” in Charlotte.

Han has plans to expand the wholesale business, which the 9,000-square-foot walk-in coolers and freezers at the new location will help with. He wants to keep expanding, perhaps opening another North Carolina store north of Charlotte and in other states like South Carolina and Florida.

“This is the first of many other Super G Marts. This is what all the other future Super G Marts are going to look like,” Han said. “This was a really important phase in our lives and for the store.”

Han’s first language is Korean. He was born in New York City and the family moved to Seoul, South Korea, when he was 2. The Hans moved to the U.S. when Peter was in third grade.

After high school graduation, Han spent a year in Korea before earning business and economy bachelor’s degree at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan.

He landed back in New York City working for Japanese trading company Mitsui Plastics Inc., then transferred to Houston where he traveled for work to Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia. When the pandemic squashed traveling, he moved to Charlotte to join the family’s grocery store business.

After the Pineville Super G opens this month., the food hall will open in late spring.

Han said he’s learned a lot about construction and architecture, working with cities and planning. “Taking all the experience from this, I’d like to start expanding more rapidly,” he said.

But he admits “I would like a little vacation before I do it.”