Market Place
Market Place is a premium supermarket brand operated by DFI Retail Group in Hong Kong, with related ventures and historical operations elsewhere in Asia.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Market Place is a premium supermarket chain associated principally with DFI Retail Group's food-retailing operations in Hong Kong. The brand serves shoppers seeking a more upscale grocery environment, with an emphasis on imported, specialty, fresh and gourmet food alongside conventional supermarket provisions. Its naming history reflects the evolution of DFI's premium food formats: the chain has operated under names including Market Place by Jasons, Jason's Food & Living and Jasons ichiba. The current Market Place identity is therefore part of a broader family of DFI supermarket concepts rather than an entirely separate corporate enterprise. The brand's documented history began in Singapore in 1975 under the Jasons Market Place name. It later expanded into other Asian markets. In Hong Kong, a Market Place by Jasons store opened at Jardine's Lookout in 2007, establishing the format in one of the territory's affluent residential areas. The chain has also been linked to DFI's wider Hong Kong retail portfolio, which includes the 3hreeSixty and Oliver's The Delicatessen concepts, as well as the much larger Wellcome supermarket business. Market Place has had a changing geographic footprint. Its Taiwan stores, operated as Jasons Market Place, entered the market in 2003 but were sold to Carrefour in 2020 and subsequently rebranded as Mia C'bon from 2022. In mainland China, DFI operated a joint venture with Beijing Hualian Group under the BHG Market Place name. The related Malaysian operation began in 2012 as Jasons Food Hall at Bangsar Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur and was later associated with the Mercató brand after DFI sold its Malaysian food-retailing business to Macrovalue Sdn Bhd in 2023. In Singapore, the related Jasons and Market Place operations were renamed Cold Storage Fresh and are owned by Macrovalue from 2025. A separate Philippine business, The Marketplace, was formerly operated by Rustan Supercenters and has been owned by Robinsons Retail Holdings since 2018. The surviving Market Place proposition is best understood as premium grocery retail: curated food ranges, imported merchandise, fresh foods and private-label products positioned above a mass-market supermarket. DFI's Meadows and Yu Pin King labels are among the private-label ranges sold in Market Place supermarkets. Because the same or similar names have been used by different operators across countries and at different times, ownership and current status must be assessed by market. The canonical subject is the supermarket brand described in the Market Place (supermarket) reference, not unrelated businesses using the word Marketplace.
History
The Market Place brand belongs to a family of premium supermarket formats developed and operated by DFI Retail Group and related companies across Asia. Its documented roots reach back to 1975, when Jasons Market Place began operating in Singapore. The format was designed for shoppers looking for a more upscale grocery experience than a conventional supermarket, combining everyday provisions with imported, gourmet and specialty products. The brand expanded regionally over subsequent decades. It entered Taiwan in 2003 under the Jasons Market Place name. DFI later established a Hong Kong presence in 2007, opening a Market Place by Jasons store at Jardine's Lookout. The Hong Kong business became the principal surviving expression of the Market Place identity and forms part of DFI's wider portfolio of food-retailing concepts. DFI's related Hong Kong brands include 3hreeSixty and Oliver's The Delicatessen, while Wellcome serves a broader supermarket market. The format also appeared in mainland China through BHG Market Place, a joint venture between DFI and Beijing Hualian Group. In Malaysia, Jasons Food Hall opened in 2012 at Bangsar Shopping Centre, replacing a Cold Storage store at the upscale shopping destination. These operations demonstrate how DFI adapted its premium grocery concepts to different markets while retaining the Jasons or Market Place naming associated with the format. Ownership and branding subsequently diverged by country. DFI sold its Taiwan Jasons Market Place stores to Carrefour in 2020; Carrefour later converted the stores to the Mia C'bon banner from 2022. DFI's Malaysian food-retailing business was acquired by Macrovalue Sdn Bhd in 2023, after which the related Malaysian chain became associated with Mercató, formerly Jasons Food Hall. In Singapore, the related stores formerly known as Market Place, Jasons and Jasons Deli became Cold Storage Fresh under Macrovalue ownership from 2025. The Philippine chain called The Marketplace is a related but separately owned operation: it was formerly associated with Rustan Supercenters and has been owned by Robinsons Retail Holdings since 2018. Within its current Hong Kong context, Market Place is positioned as a premium grocery retailer. Its assortment includes fresh food, imported packaged goods, specialty groceries and household staples. The chain also sells DFI private-label ranges such as Meadows and Yu Pin King. The history of the name shows why the brand should not be treated as a single uninterrupted chain across every country: similar banners have been sold, renamed or transferred to different owners. The canonical Market Place supermarket subject is chiefly the DFI-associated brand and its documented regional history.
- 2025
Singapore operations become Cold Storage Fresh
[1]The Singapore operations formerly associated with Market Place, Jasons and Jasons Deli are identified as Cold Storage Fresh under Macrovalue ownership.
- 2023
Macrovalue acquires DFI's Malaysian food retailing business
[1]Macrovalue Sdn Bhd acquires DFI's Malaysian food-retailing business, with the related Jasons Food Hall operation subsequently associated with Mercató.
- 2022
Taiwan stores rebranded as Mia C'bon
[1]The former Taiwan Jasons Market Place stores are rebranded under Carrefour's Mia C'bon banner.
- 2020
Taiwan business sold to Carrefour
[1]DFI sells its Taiwan Jasons Market Place stores to Carrefour.
- 2018
Philippine Marketplace ownership changes
[1]The Philippine Marketplace business becomes owned by Robinsons Retail Holdings after previously being associated with Rustan Supercenters.
- 2012
Jasons Food Hall opens in Malaysia
[1]Jasons Food Hall begins operating at Bangsar Shopping Centre as a replacement for a Cold Storage store.
- 2007
Hong Kong launch
[1]A Market Place by Jasons store opens at Jardine's Lookout in Hong Kong.
- 2003
Entry into Taiwan
[1]Jasons Market Place expands into Taiwan.
- 1975
Jasons Market Place begins in Singapore
[1]The premium supermarket format begins operating in Singapore under the Jasons Market Place name.
Products and positioning
An upscale supermarket format focused on premium groceries, fresh food, imported products and specialty merchandise.
Supermarket groceries
Market Place premium supermarket assortment
The core Market Place offer combines fresh produce, meat, seafood, dairy, bakery and prepared foods with packaged groceries, imported merchandise, specialty ingredients, beverages and household essentials. The assortment is intended to provide a more premium and internationally oriented shopping experience than a mass-market supermarket.
Private label
Meadows
Meadows is one of DFI's private-label ranges sold through Market Place supermarkets. The supplied reference identifies it as part of the store's own-label assortment, but does not provide a complete product-category breakdown.
Private label
Yu Pin King
Yu Pin King is another DFI private-label range available in Market Place supermarkets. It forms part of the retailer's own-label offer, particularly within its broader grocery assortment.
Controversies
2021
EU opens antitrust investigation into Facebook classified-ad data
The European Commission opened an antitrust investigation into whether Facebook uses data collected from rival services to distort competition in classified advertising and whether Marketplace’s integration into the social network gives it an advantage.
Brand decisions
2025
Singapore banner transition to Cold Storage FreshStrategyBackground
The Singapore stores had previously used the Market Place, Jasons and Jasons Deli names.
Action taken
The related Singapore operations were identified under the Cold Storage Fresh name following Macrovalue ownership.
Aftermath
The Market Place and Jasons identities no longer represent the primary branding of those Singapore stores.
2023
Sale of DFI's Malaysian food-retailing businessM&ABackground
DFI's Malaysian food-retailing portfolio included the operation formerly known as Jasons Food Hall.
Action taken
Macrovalue Sdn Bhd acquired DFI's Malaysian food-retailing business.
Aftermath
The Malaysian operation became associated with Mercató, formerly Jasons Food Hall.
2020
Sale of Taiwan Jasons Market Place storesM&ABackground
DFI's Taiwan operations were part of the regional Jasons Market Place network, but the business later changed ownership.
Action taken
DFI sold the Taiwan stores to Carrefour.
Aftermath
The stores were subsequently rebranded as Mia C'bon from 2022.
Recent events
Reported
MarketPlace and Price Rite offer a reusable-bag discount[3]
MarketPlace and Price Rite stores began offering shoppers a ten-cent discount when they bring a reusable shopping bag. The article says the discount is effective immediately.
Reported
DFI announces Market Place outlets will become CS Fresh[4]
DFI Retail Group said that all Market Place outlets would be rebranded as CS Fresh as part of a $40 million rebranding exercise. The article also reports a planned revamp of all 48 Cold Storage stores by the end of 2022.
Reported
EU opens antitrust investigation into Facebook classified-ad data[2]
The European Commission opened an antitrust investigation into whether Facebook uses data collected from rival services to distort competition in classified advertising and whether Marketplace’s integration into the social network gives it an advantage.
Reported
Facebook Marketplace launches in Nigeria[5]
Facebook announced that Marketplace, its e-commerce service, had launched in Nigeria, where users could discover, buy and sell items in their local communities.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
MarketPlace secures exclusive wholesale partnership for Sainsbury’s own-brand products[6]
MarketPlace secured an exclusive wholesale partnership to offer Sainsbury’s own-brand products in Bermuda. The products had started appearing in MarketPlace and PriceRite stores late the previous year and were available in stores and online.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Facebook's GrokNet provides product recognition features on Marketplace[7]
Facebook's GrokNet provides Marketplace buyers and sellers with features that automatically identify product attributes, such as color or material, from sellers' uploaded photos.
Sources7 sources
- 1Market Place (supermarket)en.wikipedia.org
- 2EU opens antitrust investigation into Facebook classified-ad datatoronto.citynews.ca
- 3MarketPlace 和 Price Rite 推出可重复使用购物袋折扣royalgazette.com
- 4DFI宣布Market Place门店将更名为CS Freshstraitstimes.com
- 5Facebook Marketplace在尼日利亚上线punchng.com
- 6MarketPlace 获得 Sainsbury’s 自有品牌商品独家批发合作royalgazette.com
- 7Facebook的GrokNet在Marketplace提供商品识别功能finance.sina.com.cn
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