The Contra Costa Times reports that Trader Joe’s will open its first store in Oakland, California, next spring, in a former Albertsons location.
The unit is actually being opened after a concerted effort by local residents to attract a Trader Joe’s to the neighborhood. There was a small uproar among residents when it looked like a Walgreens might go into the location, with more than 600 people responding to a survey asking for a Trader Joe’s.
"It's a fantasy in our neighborhood," Pamela Drake, executive director of the Lakeshore Business Improvement District, tells the Times. "Trader Joe's will bring lots of people to our streets who will look around and see what else is available."
The unit is actually being opened after a concerted effort by local residents to attract a Trader Joe’s to the neighborhood. There was a small uproar among residents when it looked like a Walgreens might go into the location, with more than 600 people responding to a survey asking for a Trader Joe’s.
"It's a fantasy in our neighborhood," Pamela Drake, executive director of the Lakeshore Business Improvement District, tells the Times. "Trader Joe's will bring lots of people to our streets who will look around and see what else is available."
- KC's View:
- The Trader Joe’s business model – focusing on a unique and differentiated product selection that makes the customer feel intelligent just for walking in the door – remains one of the industry’s wonderful innovations. Other companies fight community groups that don’t want them in the neighborhood…but not Trader Joe’s.
