[ALERT] Trader Joe's Finally Looking to Grow its Georgia Presence

If you had more Trader Joe's stores on your holiday wish list, you're in luck!  We have heard rumblings for more than a year that the popular boutique grocer was looking to add to its metro Atlanta presence and that smoke seems to have some fire now.  

At least one store was reportedly confirmed by the company, with another source close to the grocer telling ToNeTo Atlanta that as many as six new Trader Joe's are planned for the greater metro Atlanta area over the next two years.  

Forsyth County News (FCN) this week reported it received confirmation from Trader Joe's that they plan to open a new store in Alpharetta.  The grocer reportedly declined to identify the exact location but FCN along with ToNeTo Atlanta both suspect the store is planned for phase 2 of Halcyon off Exit 12 in Forsyth County.  

Documents reviewed by ToNeTo Atlanta indicate that Halcyon developer RocaPoint Partners was earlier this year working with Forsyth County on some additional land use entitlements for the development of a "high-end, extremely desirable national retailer."  The developer indicated that there was a Non-Disclosure Agreement  (NDA) in place that precluded them from naming the retailer.

Real estate sources with whom ToNeTo Atlanta spoke both over the summer (when we first heard of the Alpharetta store), and more recently, indicate that the size of the store and the secrecy surrounding it are indications of a Trader Joe's store.  

Monrovia, California-based Trader Joe's opened its first stores in metro Atlanta in October 2006.  Today the company operates a total of six stores in metro Atlanta - Midtown, Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Peachtree Corners and East Cobb - with a seventh Georgia store in Athens which opened in late 2010. 

By comparison, Aldi, which has owned Trader Joe's since 1979, operates 78 stores across Georgia. [Aldi in the U.S. is operated by "Aldi Süd" while Trader Joe's is owned by "Aldi Nord" with both divisions tracing their roots to brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht.]  That said, the excitement of an Aldi opening in a neighborhood pales in comparison to news that Trader Joe's is coming.  

ToNeTo Atlanta has been in existence for more than fifteen years, and in our nearly 4,000 posts, Trader Joe's is the most frequently mentioned name when readers respond to what should replace x, y, or z, even if x, y, or z are a former Mattress Firm, a Burger King or a Walmart.  

According to a source close to Trader Joe's, the new stores planned for Georgia are: "in the Halcyon area of south Forsyth County, " "in the Peachtree City area," 2 to 3 "in the Atlanta area," and one "in the Decatur area." 

Aside from the Halcyon phase two location, ToNeTo Atlanta is confident in its identification of at least two of the other sites including one near Decatur and another near Atlanta but are not publishing for now as we await confirmation.  

If Trader Joe's does open in the above referenced locations, do you think Atlanta will have enough stores?  What potential upcoming Trader Joe's store are you most excited about?  What is your favorite Trader Joe's item?  

Please share your thoughts below.  

P.S. - If anyone from Trader Joe's sees this, please bring back the cinnamon babka!