A real estate entity tied to H Mart has completed an $18.3 million purchase of a former Kohl’s property in Fremont, California, marking a major H Mart Fremont purchase that could support continued Northern California expansion. The transaction was reported through documents cited by the Mercury News on December 16, 2025.
Records filed with the Alameda County Recorder’s Office show that the former Kohl’s site at 43782 Christy Street sold for $18.3 million in cash, well below its current assessed valuation of about $26.1 million.
The building spans roughly 98,000 square feet, the equivalent of about 1.4 international soccer fields. The Fremont Kohl’s store closed permanently in April 2024, part of a larger regional pullback that included store closures in Mountain View, Napa, Pleasanton, and San Rafael across Northern California.
The seller was an affiliate of Heitman Capital Management. Commercial brokerage Rockhouse represented the seller in the transaction.
Public filings list Il Yeon Kwon, chairman of H Mart, as a member of the purchasing entity. One of the buyer’s registered business addresses matches the headquarters of Vornado Realty Trust, a major U.S. real estate investment and management company.
The H Mart Fremont purchase positions the site in a strategic area. Fremont sits in the East Bay, directly north of San Jose, and is viewed as a prime development location because of its proximity to Silicon Valley, population density, and regional economic activity.
Industry observers note that the site could become a future H Mart store or be developed for another commercial or mixed-use purpose. However, the buyer has not announced any official development plans.
H Mart first entered the Northern California market in 2017 with a store in San Jose. Since then, the company has expanded its footprint across the region and now operates three additional locations in San Francisco, Oakland and the De Anza area of San Jose.
The grocer is also preparing to launch another store in Dublin, California, further strengthening its presence in the Bay Area and reflecting continued demand for Asian grocery retail in the region.
Analysts say the H Mart Fremont purchase may signal continued geographic expansion for the company in Northern California, though no timeline has been confirmed.
