Business

We Dislike Trader Joe's Reply to Our 'Why Not Detroit' Question

May 29, 2015, 2:56 PM by  Allan Lengel

I called Trader Joe's corporate headquarters in Monrovia, Calif. on Friday afternoon to see if the company has plans to open a store in Detroit.

I keep wondering that as I shop regularly at the Whole Foods on Mack Avenue in Midtown. Every time I go, the lot is full. Often, I have to circle around for a few minutes to find a parking spot. That's a good testimonial as to how the store is doing.

I often think: "if Whole Foods can do well, then Trader Joe's, which often has much better prices and some unique products, would do great."

I told spokesman Matt Sloan how well Whole Foods has done in Detroit and how Trader Joe's also could do a booming business.

That's good to hear, he said, but . . .

"We're always looking for new sites, but we have nothing immediately planned" for Detroit.

Trader Joe's grows in measured spurts, he explained, and has plans for other new stores around the country. Detroit isn't on the list yet.

City Hall needs to work on that.

There are Traders in Royal Oak, Grosse Pointe and Ann Arbor. Demographically, those must be sure bets.

But after Whole Food took a chance, Midtown Detroit appears to be a sure bet as well. Plus, it's good public relations to raise a flag in the city, something Meijer has also done recently, opening two stores in Detroit. Whole Foods stores have also been great anchors for urban neighborhoods in cities like Detroit and Washington, and help development.

Yes, Trader Joe's, there's a pile of money waiting to be had. And Detroiters would welcome more grocery store options.

Think about it. 

Related coverage at Deadline:

CEO Tells How Detroit Led Whole Foods' to Rethink 'Our Core Values', May 28



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