SAN JOSE — A Mexican supermarket and retail chain will open its first Bay Area store by taking over a long-empty retail building in a high-profile shopping and restaurant complex in San Jose.
Vallarta Supermarkets, founded nearly four decades ago in Southern California by a family that had migrated to the United States from Mexico, has leased a big chunk of space in The Plant shopping center in San Jose.
The grocery and retail store, which offers traditional foods and items native to Mexico, is moving into the former Toys ‘R Us and Babies ‘R Us location on the north side of The Plant, which is at the corner of Curtner Avenue and Monterey Road. The Plant’s largest vacancy had been empty since 2018.
The leasing deal and upcoming redevelopment of the former retail space represent a major early win for Arc Capital Partners and Milan Capital Management, two real estate investment firms that in August paid $95 million to buy The Plant…