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The González family of Northgate González Markets still have not seen a lull in customer traffic since the opening of the 70,000-square-foot Mercado González store in Costa Mesa over a year ago.
Joshua González, one of 32 third-generation family members who work at the Anaheim-based company, said they had expected visitation to go high then low after the opening before picking up into a steady flow of customers.
“We really expected customers to love it, but it was really rewarding to see how well it was received,” González told the Business Journal. “It’s not had a low and has just continued to grow.”
He added that they’re still learning how to operate the store as awareness and business increases. The Mercado is now one of its busiest stores, prompting Northgate to consider opening more of the concept as the company expands.
“It says a lot about not only our core customer that we’ve served for many, many years, but also how it’s attracted and it’s been enjoyed by customers of all walks of life,” González said. “We want to share this with more communities.”
The family-run grocery chain counts 44 stores across Southern California where they employ about 8,000 people. Founder Don Miguel González Jiménez started Northgate in 1980 with its very first location in Anaheim, a small liquor store that was converted into a grocery market with the help of his wife and 13 children.
Northgate is now one of the largest Mexican grocers in the U.S. generating around $1 billion in annual sales. The González family accepted the Business Journal’s Longevity Award at the Family-Owned Business Awards last year.
Joshua González said the company currently has about four stores under development that are each opening in new communities. Northgate will reveal a couple of the new locations in the next six months.
The company still has room to grow in existing markets from Inland Empire to San Diego, González added.
“And Orange County is definitely at the forefront,” he said.
Innovation at the Mercado
“We have a responsibility to continue to invest in our stores,” González said.
One strategy is introducing new products on the grocery shelves, which will soon be coming straight from the Costa Mesa Mercado.
New foods from marinated products to seasonal flavors are currently in research and development at the Mercado, according to González.
“It’s an incubator and innovation center,” he said.
In addition to traditional grocery items and specialty Mexican products, the Mercado includes a collection of 20 vendors serving Mexican dishes, such as menudo, tamales and birria.
This year, Northgate will launch the first batch of products to be developed at the Costa Mesa store since its opening in late 2023.
“We’ve got quite a bit coming,” González said.