Trader Joe’s to Open Nine New Stores in SoCal

Trader Joe’s is set to open nine new grocery stores between Santa Clarita and San Diego County.

The Monrovia-based firm plans to open two dozen stores across the U.S., including Santa Clarita, Northridge, Sherman Oaks, South Pasadena, Mission Viejo, Murrieta, Poway and Santee, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Opening dates and addresses for each store were not disclosed.

Trader Joe’s is also slated to open a grocery store at the Village Walk Tarzana, replacing a 54,000-square-foot Whole Foods market that closed in 2022 at 18700 Ventura Boulevard, Valley News Group reported. An opening date was not disclosed.

The rate of Trader Joe’s store openings “is faster than it has been in the last few years,” Nakia Rohde, a spokeswoman for Trader Joe’s, told the Times. “Not a lot of businesses are growing their brick-and-mortar, so it’s nice.”

The push by Trader Joe’s to enlarge its real estate footprint comes as grocery prices have increased 25 percent over the last four years.

Competition within the grocery industry, especially in Southern California, the nation’s largest and most competitive market, has been fierce as stores compete for budget-minded consumers, many of whom say they’re buying just the essentials, according to the Times.

With its curated aisles of trendy snacks, frozen meals, alcohol and produce at affordable prices, Trader Joe’s has been a popular destination for shoppers.

Trader Joe’s, owned by the family that owns Germany-based Aldi Nord, operates 549 stores in 42 states and Washington, D.C. This month, it opened new stores in San Francisco and Boston. The first Trader Joe’s opened in 1967 on South Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena.

— Dana Bartholomew