Trader Joe's To Open New Store In Orange County Amid Expansion

Amid rising inflation and increasing gas prices, a popular health food store is opening two new stores in California.

Trader Joe's plans to open the two stores in Paso Robles and Anaheim Hills, part of a slew of 10 new locations the company announced last week.

The new stores as a result of the company's growing nationwide expansion.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the grocery chain plans to unveil at least 20 locations this year, two of which have already opened their doors.

Trader Joe's announced five new California locations just under a year ago. A store in Costa Mesa opened in December and another Los Angeles location opened in June.

The Monrovia-based grocery chain's new locations, all listed online as “opening soon,” will include stores in Texas, Kansas, Washington, Arizona, Florida, Georgia and two in Louisiana.

When the company chooses to open a new store, it takes into account population density and draw, site access, traffic patterns and parking, marketing executives Tara Miller and Matthew Sloan said in a 2024 episode of the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast, according to the episode transcript.

"This is very deliberate, and for us, what's important is that it's controlled growth," Sloan said in the episode, according to the transcript. "We have to grow in a way that fits our business model."

In June, Trader Joe's opened a new location in Sherman Oaks, directly across the street from an existing Trader Joe's.

The twist? The old store didn't close.

The grocer didn't revealed why, exactly, it opted for twin Sherman Oaks locations. But company leaders last year on the Trader Joe's podcast detailed their reasoning behind a similar setup in Boston, which has two stores on the same street just five blocks apart.

One reason they cited: Having two locations near each other — especially when they're busy — can improve the customer experience.