Do you want to start a grocery store business by buying Trader Joe’s franchise? If YES, here is how much it cost to open a Trader Joe’s franchise.
Trader Joe’s is an American chain of grocery stores that has its headquarters in Monrovia, California. Trader Joe’s was founded by Joe Coulombe in 1967 in Pasadena, California. But the company changed ownership in 1979 to a German entrepreneur Theo Albrecht.
Financial Investment Required to Open a Trader Joe’s Franchise
It is sad to say that this company, Trader Joe’s, does not expand based on franchise. It is a strict private company that supplies and maintains all its individual stores directly, instead of selling franchises and allowing local ownership from outsiders.
While Trader Joe’s does not sell individual franchises, it does offer opportunities to become a Trader Joe’s vendor to those who have a product to sell, but those products must meet certain health and safety standards. These standards can be found on the company website.
If you are interested in being a vendor, you can go to their website and fill out their Vendor Inquiry Form.
Trader Joe’s also offers career opportunities, accepting applications for Mate and Crew positions. Further advancement is achieved through internal promotion, to positions such as Merchant and Captain. Applications should be filled out in person at the store where a position is desired.
There is also a location request form to be found on the Trader Joe’s website, where people can put in their names, contact information, the city and state where they would like to have Trader Joe’s open a store, along with any additional comments they may have.
Customers are encouraged to contact Trader Joe’s with any questions they may have. There is a contact form on the Trader Joe’s website for general inquiries, as well as a list of all the Trader Joe’s stores with their addresses and phone numbers.
What You Must Know About Trader Joe’s Franchise
The company then passed unto his heirs after his death. Under the leadership of Albrecht, the company expanded beyond California, moving into Arizona in 1993 and into the Pacific Northwest two years later. The company has their administrative offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Monrovia, California.
The Trader Joe chain actually began in 1958 as a chain of convenience stores that were bought by the owner, Joe Coulombe. Back then, the stores were called Pronto Market. The company changed its name down the line to Trader Joe’s.
The first store branded as “Trader Joe’s” opened in 1967. This store, on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, California, remains in operation to this day. In the first few decades since opening, some of the stores offered fresh meats provided by butchers who leased space in the stores.
The company has since then continued to provide unique items on sale to their numerous customers and they are also involved in the sale of food and beverages. Unlike most stores that may offer up to 50,000 items on sale, Trader Joe only stocks about 4000 items and most of these items bear one of their brand names.
At their stores spread across the US, you can get items like organic foods, gourmet foods, unusual frozen foods, domestic and imported wine and beer, eggs, dairy products, pet foods, plants and flowers, vitamins and so on
Trader Joe purchases their products directly from the suppliers and they ensure they get the best bargain for every product they buy. This is done to save cost and then the savings are passed on to the customers. By October 2017, Trader Joe’s had 500 stores nationwide in 41 states and Washington, D.C.