A new supermarket has opened in Hamilton catering to residents with a love of Asian food.

Chang Asian Supermarket is owned by Sharrieff and Jane Wales, who operate two Champ’s Variety stores as well as Fresh on Queen Street in the capital.

The new shop is on Dundonald Street just east of Court Street, next door to The Money Shop.

The 1,000 sq ft outlet carries a wide selection of foods from Japan, China, Thailand and the Philippines, all sourced from distributors in the United States.

Goods include sauces, spices, pastes, canned soups and vegetables, pot noodles, ramen, spring roll skins, vermicelli, snack chips, melon and watermelon seeds, rice, teas, chocolate drinks, a range of frozen goods, and more.

Prices range from $2.50 for snack foods to $37 for a 25-pound bag of rice that Mr Wales says retails for $45 elsewhere on the island.

He said: “Our pricing is going to be extremely competitive.”

Mr Wales, 51, said he first had the notion of opening a shop selling Asian foods about 30 years ago, but the idea didn’t begin to take shape until three years ago.

He said: “I had in mind that location as an Asian dry goods store because they are a large part of our community.

“They are our actuaries, our lawyers, they work in reinsurance, they serve us in restaurants, they clean our homes, and they take care of our elderly.

“They are part of our community in every facet and yet we aren’t catering to them and I think we should be.”

The shop opened last Monday.

Mr Wales said: “Tuesday was our busiest day – you couldn’t move around the store. I thought I might have to do ‘five out, five in’, it was so busy.”

He added: “It has been a whirlwind. The positivity from Bermudians, the positivity from the Asian community, has been high, and the excitement has been high.

“The range of Asian people coming, culturally and financially, has been broad. It has been super exciting.

“I knew it would go over well, but it’s also surprising and awesome and amazing.”

The manager of the shop is longtime Bermuda resident Kesorn Khenrang-Adams, who joined after 17 years at Miles Market, where she most recently served as a floor supervisor.

Ms Khenrang-Adams, a native of Thailand who has been on island for 22 years, said the shop has been “super busy, crazy”.

Mr Wales said the range of customers patronising the shop is a sign that people aren’t shy to travel to north Hamilton.

“I’ve given people a reason to come to this side of town, and they’re coming,” he said.

“It begs the question: how else can we build this side of town by creating more businesses?”

The shop is operating on a cash-only basis until merchant bank accounts are set up.