Trader Joe's Ramps Up Pace Of Store Openings

Trader Joe’s has plans for rapid expansion this year in a mission to stock even more shelves with their private-label tortilla chips and frozen Mandarin orange chicken.

Within the first four months of 2025, the beloved small-format grocer has announced the upcoming opening of 20 stores, nearly doubling its pace from last year, Construction Dive reported. At the end of January, Trader Joe’s had a dozen stores in its pipeline.

In 2024, it opened 34 locations, more than half of which came in the last quarter.

Five new locations are planned for California, its home state where it operates a third of its 580-store-strong footprint. Several others are slated for states where the chain has a smaller presence.

That includes Oklahoma, Alabama and Louisiana, all states where only two Trader Joe’s exist. In South Carolina, the grocery store is set to open its fifth location.

The chain has three stores coming to the Washington, D.C., area, with two in the city proper. Those locations, in Friendship Heights and Brookland, will supplement five existing stores in the District — although none are in the downtown area, which is desperate for a grocery store. 

Trader Joe’s has become a cult favorite. Despite carrying a smaller selection than traditional supermarkets, it has managed to increase its hold on shoppers, according to foot traffic analytics firm Placer.ai. 

After recording a bump in traffic in 2024, Trader Joe’s has sustained growth, with visits up 6% year-over-year, according to a March report by Placer.ai. 

Additionally, the report notes that just 5% of shoppers went to a Trader Joe’s location immediately after visiting another grocer’s store in 2024, indicating that the majority of shoppers view the chain as their primary grocery destination.