Trader Joe’s readying Palm Beach invasion

It’s not quite a tidal wave but a series of small splashes for Trader Joe’s, which is hitting the Florida beaches.

The Monrovia, Calif.-based specialty retailer is scheduled to open four units in the Palm Beach County, Fla., area this fall — Delray Beach (Sept. 5); Palm Beach Gardens (Sept. 19); Boca Raton (Sept. 26) and Pembroke Pines (Oct. 10). These join a Trader Joe’s that opened in nearby Wellington, Fla., in May.

“The story is that Florida’s growing again, and parts of the state are hot,” John Crossman, president of Orlando real estate services firm Crossman & Co., told SN. “Tourism is up and we’ve got job activity again, which is causing a lot of regional growth. And with that there’s more and more demand.”

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Like Wawa, the food-focused c-store chain that has  successfully expanded into the Tampa and Orlando areas in recent years, Trader Joe’s comes to Florida with a reputation. Crossman said he would anticipate only a small impact for area market share leader Publix Super Markets, while specialty competitors including The Fresh Market and Whole Foods Market might feel a bigger pinch from the newly arriving brand.

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