Asianfresh Food Market holds its grand opening Saturday, Sept. 12, at 2005 Route 70 East, bringing a new Asian grocery store to Cherry Hill's Route 70 retail corridor.

The specialty grocer's first New Jersey location drew hundreds of shoppers during a soft opening that began Sept. 3, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The grand opening begins at 11 a.m. with a durian eating contest. The winner gets a one-minute shopping spree.

"Anyone with an Asian background can come and find something that they need," spokesperson Karen Louie told the Inquirer, listing Cambodian, Vietnamese, Filipino and Thai staples among the store's imports.

Louie described the soft-opening response as "overwhelmingly positive" and said staff were prepared for Saturday's event to be packed.

The Cherry Hill store is Asianfresh's second location. Its flagship is a two-story market on North 10th Street in Philadelphia's Chinatown, which opened in 2019. The new store sits in a shopping center near Route 70 and Old Orchard Road, in a space previously occupied by Oscar Huber Furniture, according to The Sun Papers. Planet Fitness operates on one side of the complex.

Inside, a colorful mural by Chinatown artist Chenlin Cai greets shoppers near the entrance. The layout includes a produce section stocked with specialty items like grape plums, Korean pears and dragon fruit, according to PhillyVoice. A seafood department carries live Dungeness crabs and lobsters. A central floor area holds 25-pound bags of rice on pallets. The store also sells bulk goods to local restaurants, similar to warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's Club, Louie said.

Siblings Eric Alindogan and Daffodil Evans visited during the soft opening. The pair cook vegetarian Chinese and Filipino dishes and told the Inquirer that finding all the right ingredients at a reasonable price usually means trips to multiple stores.

Asianfresh joins H Mart and Hung Vuong Food Market as the third major Asian grocer in Cherry Hill. H Mart reopened on Route 70 in April after 18 months of renovations that added a food hall, live seafood market and expanded selection. More than 200 people lined up for that reopening, The Cherry Hill Sun reported on X. Cherry Hill's Asian population grew 32% between 2014 and 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data cited by the Inquirer.

Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Opening promotions include a free reusable bag with a $38 purchase and tiered giveaways up to a free 25-pound bag of Golden Elephant Rice for spending $198.