There are at least eight Facebook pages in New Jersey dedicated to pleading for Trader Joe's to open more locations.
Over 14,500 people have liked Facebook pages across New Jersey pleading for Trader Joe's to open a location in their neighborhood.
From Monmouth County to Sussex, Hunterdon to Essex, there are at least eight Facebook pages dedicated to campaigning for the popular chain to consider their community. At the moment, there are 11 Trader Joe's in the Garden State, more than 450 nationwide.
What makes TJ's, as it's called by super fans, so popular? Trader Joe's Spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki said one reason is that 80 percent of the store's products come from its own private label.
Wegmans unseats Trader Joe's as best grocery store
Mochizuki said Trader Joe's doesn't comment on how it picks its locations. New Jersey locations include Florham Park, Millburn, Wayne, Clifton, Paramus, Westwood, Edgewater, Princeton, Shrewsbury and Marlton. A location in Westfield was torn down after its roof collapsed during January's blizzard.
A Facebook page dedicated to getting a Trader Joe's in Woodbury has the largest number of likes, with 3,634.
Others include:
- East Brunswick, with 3,533 likes.
- Hunterdon County, with 2,919 likes
- Mount Vernon and Washington, with 2,321 likes
- Sussex County, with 1,734 likes
- Basking Ridge, with 631 likes.
- Toms River, with 276 likes
- Mount Olive and Hackettstown, with 59 likes.
Although there are plans to open a Trader Joe's in Hoboken this year according to Mochizuki, there are no other locations are planned for the state.
"It's an honor to be wanted, and we love hearing from our customers, but unfortunately we don't disclose our decision making process for selecting locations for stores and wooing isn't a part of that process," Mochizuki said.
With low prices and unique products like "Two-buck Chuck" wine and "Triple Ginger Snaps," some fans of the specialty grocery store like Jacqueline Villa of Clinton Township in Hunterdon County, drive 45 minutes or more away for organic yogurt and chicken as well as pre-made Thai, Indian and Italian meals.
Having a Trader Joe's in a community has an impact on local businesses, says Sherry Cronin, executive director of the Downtown Westfield Corporation.
"Trader Joe's is a destination in the locations where they place the stores, and with it closed, it has an impact on the visitors and foot traffic to surrounding business," Cronin said. "It's hard to measure, but we've definitely seen a difference even in the parking. The lots are usually very full and they're not now."
Cronin said Trader Joe's shoppers are heading to its locations in Millburn in Essex County and Princeton in Mercer County. "We can't wait for them to get back," she said.
Trader Joe's has plans to eventually reopen in the same location, Cronin said. It was previously reported by NJ Advance Media that construction could begin in May.
In Hunterdon County, a Facebook page titled "Trader Joe's Please open a store in Hunterdon County NJ" has an active community of members who have repeatedly reached out to the store to request a nearby location.
"TJ's offers affordable, tasty alternatives and it's a unique experience when you shop there," said Sara Miniman of Glen Gardner, who created the page. "Believe it or not, one of my favorite products is the water that they carry from New Zealand. And how can you not mention Two-Buck Chuck?"
Miniman used to drive to the store in Westfield, but no said she friends and family pick up her favorite items for her.
"There are so many opportunities (in Hunterdon County) and what seems like perfect retail spaces available.," she said. "Even if it was in Flemington, I think that so many people would appreciate the alternative and I think that their business would flourish out here."
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Like many other communities in New Jersey, Clinton, a small Hunterdon County town with a historic downtown, recently lost its supermarket when the A&P closed. Mayor Janice Kovach said she has been working hard to find a replacement, and tried to persuade Trader Joe's.
"When A&P was first going out of business, and we knew it was definite, I reached out to Trader Joe's and more than 1,000 people filled out their request form online," she said. "When I finally got in touch with someone, they said they weren't interested in that location."
Also looking to fill a former A&P, Mount Olive Mayor Rob Greenbaum told The Mount Olive Chronicle in February that he inquired with Trader Joe's six years ago, but the chain wasn't interested in the location.
With a thousand new housing units coming to Flanders, Greenbaum said Trader Joe's could change its mind.
Wegmans, which has seven locations in New Jersey, has a similar following and recently unseated Trader Joe's as the best grocery store in the United States, according to a study by Market Force.
While Trader Joe's did not provide any insight into how it chooses where to locate itself, Wegmans Spokeswoman Jo Natale offered some insight to its own process.
"The most important criteria we look at is a trade area that is densely populated and a large enough parcel to build on," she said, stating Wegmans typically builds on property between 15- and 18-acres in size.
Other key factors are accessibility, like major roads, and if the area can draw from larger radius than the typical supermarket like Wegmans' stores tend to do, Natale said.
Natale also said Wegmans paces its growth by only adding on three to four new stores each year, and in New Jersey stores in Montvale and Hanover Township will open in 2017.
Emily Cummins may be reached at ecummins@njadvancemedia.com Follow her on Twitter @EmilyACummins and Facebook.