Trader Joe's Opens Final 2017 Locations

Trader Joe’s has opened the last of its new locations for 2017 in Allston, Mass., Kalamazoo, Mich., and North Brunswick, N.J. The retailer welcomed hundreds of customers with leis at the grand opening celebrations yesterday, which featured free food and in-store beverage tastings.

Trader Joe’s opened 14 new locations this year, totaling 474 stores nationwide. New locations include: San Francisco; San Diego; Los Angeles; West Hollywood, Calif.; San Juan Capistrano, Calif.; Hoboken, N.J.; Las Vegas; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Somerville, Mass.; Washington, D.C.; Coralville, Iowa; and Jacksonville, Fla.

The retailer has opened an average of 23 stores annually over the past 10 years, bringing hundreds of jobs to communities nationwide. Plans for Trader Joe’s 2018 locations are currently underway.

"A lot goes into bringing a new Trader Joe's store to a neighborhood," says Trader Joe's spokesperson Kenya Friend-Daniel. "Aside from the logistics we want to be sure we have the right space and crew members who are engaged and passionate, not just about Trader Joe's, food and earning the delight of our customers, but also in their lives outside of work.”

This week's openings come on the heels of a successful 50th anniversary celebration for the grocery store chain. In August, as a thank you to its customers, Trader Joe's locations across the country invited shoppers to enjoy games, giveaways, tastings and more. Total customer count over the two-day period saw an increase of nearly 10 percent compared to the same time last year. Trader Joe's attributes its consistent year over year growth to its customers.

"Our customers are the reason we are still here, 50 years later, continuing to grow and make a difference in the neighborhoods we serve," says Friend-Daniel. "That is why our focus is, and always has been, on providing them with the best and most unique products at great prices, as well as a fun and engaging experience, every time they shop at one of our stores.”

Trader Joe's, based in Monrovia, Calif., is a chain of neighborhood grocery stores featuring high-quality imported and domestic foods and beverages. The first Trader Joe's store opened in 1967 in the Los Angeles area. Since then, Trader Joe's has expanded to more than 470 stores in 41 states.