Japanese retailer Teso Life opens Jacksonville store in May
New York-based Teso Life will open a 30,000-square-foot store in Arlington, joining a wave of Asian retailers expanding across Florida including Miami.
The New York City-based retailer signed a lease for the former Conn’s HomePlus building at 9278 Arlington Expressway, near Regency Square Mall. The company plans to hire staff starting in March and expects minimal construction before opening.
“It’s a great place,” a Teso Life representative said after the company explored Florida locations with a real estate agent who “found a spot they highly recommended.”
Teso Life sells health and beauty products, groceries, housewares, office supplies, car accessories and pet supplies. Founded in May 2017 and headquartered in Queens, the company operates 27 stores nationwide with 32 more planned across 20 states.
The retailer already runs one Florida store in Orlando and has a Miami location coming soon, according to its website. The company says it collaborates with “well-known Japanese suppliers and developers to provide high quality, diverse, convenient products” at affordable prices.
The Arlington building housed Rooms To Go until September 2021, when the furniture chain moved to The Markets at Town Center. Conn’s HomePlus occupied the space from 2022 until parent company Conn’s Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2024.
Forness Properties LLC of Winter Park bought the 1.49-acre property in June 2022. Monte Mitchell, the company’s director of leasing and sales, said Teso Life will occupy the entire building.
“Bringing a global brand like Teso Life is a major win for the property and the area,” Mitchell said. “It’ll boost foot traffic for Regency Court and add new retail diversity to the Arlington Corridor.”
The new store joins a growing Asian retail presence in Northeast Florida. Korean-American supermarket chain H Mart is exploring a 53,000-square-foot Jacksonville location after buying Timberlin Village shopping center for $13.25 million in December.
Lotte Plaza Market opened a 45,985-square-foot Asian specialty supermarket on Atlantic Boulevard in September, featuring a food hall with Chinese, Japanese and Korean restaurants. RD International Market converted a former Winn-Dixie on Beach Boulevard in 2024, adding 70 live seafood tanks.
The Teso Life representative said the company aims to “educate and introduce more Asian culture and products to the market.” Jacksonville permits show six new signs planned for the building at a combined cost of $33,000.
For South Florida readers, Teso Life’s Miami expansion represents part of a broader Asian retail growth across the state, with companies choosing Florida markets for their demographic diversity and growing Asian-American populations.