Mega Mart opening at Gwinnett Place Mall delayed

Work to fill a long-vacant department store space at Gwinnett Place Mall with a new Asian retailer is moving along, but won’t be completed in time for the store’s planned spring opening, the developer and store officials said this week.

Korean mass merchandiser Mega Mart announced plans in February to lease the long-vacant former Macy’s space for its first U.S. store.

From the outside, it doesn’t appear much has happened with the project since developer George Thorndyke announced the project in February.

But work has been proceeding inside, including a major interior design shift to make way for more consumer goods at the first-floor Asian grocery, said Mega Mart executive Mike Choi.

The company is now targeting a fall launch, Choi said.

The store is important because it will fill a huge vacant spot in Gwinnett Place Mall.

It also cements the critical influence of Asian retailers in the Duluth area, which has one of the fastest-growing Asian populations in the country.