Udon in Safeway

When we moved in back in 2001, Tracy was populated primarily by Mexicans. But in three short years its folk changed. Yesterday I went to Safeway and was delighted to find about quarter of an aisle to be occupied by various Asian foods. Familiar staples of Ichiban Kan were present: Australian udon, Sapporo Ichiban ramen, Kikkoman Miso soup. But also I spotted a few varieties, including shrink-wrapped udon. I do not remember what these foods displaced. They sit next to Mexican spices in a shorter section on the South side of the store, behind the deli island.

Way to go, Safeway. However, I am curious, how did they know to add these? They did not sell them before, so they had no market data. So, is this an experiment? Customer input?