Germantown Trader Joe's could open by next fall

Trader Joe’s is ramping up for an early 2017 groundbreaking at its new store in Germantown at 2130 Exeter Road, the site of a former Kroger location.
 
In early December, the South Carolina-based developer filed a $2.5 million building permit for new construction of a 19,500-square-foot outparcel in the Kroger parking lot. Trader Joe’s will occupy 12,500 square feet and lease the remaining space to other tenants.
 
After façade and interior renovations, the 23,000-square-foot Kroger will be divided for three tenants.
 
Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo believes if all goes well and the application is approved, construction could begin as soon as January with the Trader Joe’s potentially opening by late fall of next year.
 
The store, first announced in September 2016, had been set to open in the third quarter of 2016. Construction delays have pushed that date back nearly a year.
 
Local residents will have plenty of grocery shopping options by this time next year, with Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and a super Kroger within a few blocks of each other.
 
“I think we’re starting to see that our community is becoming a retail site of choice,” said Palazzolo, who cites Apple moving its prototype store from Saddle Creek North to Saddle Creek South and greatly increasing the size of its footprint. “So having a Trader Joe’s would be a nice balance with some of our other major retailers.”
 
Formed in 1958 as Pronto Markets, privately held Trader Joe’s changed its name in 1967 and has since grown and evolved to now counting more than 460 Trader Joe’s markets across the country.
 
The company touts the fact that it does sell many branded items, instead offering unconventional and interesting products with the Trader Joe's label along with everyday basics like nuts, wine, bread, cheese, sauces, coffee and produce.