Marukai, a membership-based Japanese market popular in Southern California, plans to open its first Northern California store in Cupertino in January.
The supermarket will replace a Longs Drugs store that has been at 19750 Stevens Creek Blvd. since 1978.
"We've been looking for a lot of places, and that's the one because of the major Asian traffic in the future," said Kenny Enomoto, marketing and facility manager for Marukai.
The store will be 28,690 square feet, according to Tenny Tsai, a partner with NAI BT Commercial real estate brokers who represented Marukai.

Based in Gardena, Calif., the retailer's products include Japanese and Hawaiian foods, furniture, appliances, meat, produce and a wide selection of fish.

Most of its stores are in Hawaii and Southern California. It usually requires a membership to shop and has more than 70,000 members, according to its Web site.

Marukai will join several Asian markets already in Cupertino. "I'm not too worried. Our produce is pretty strong here," said Wayne Imahara, owner of Imahara Produce and Oriental Foods across the street from Marukai's future site.

Evershine Property Management, which manages the site, did not respond to phone calls.

The Longs currently at the site plans to close by the time its lease ends on June 30. "We would love to find another location in Cupertino," said Longs spokeswoman Phyllis Proffer.