ROCKVILLE, MD — The third Trader Joe's store in the Rockville area is closer to opening, with its Town Square location listed as "coming soon" on the retailer's website. No specific opening date has been announced yet.
The space at 225 N. Washington St. was vacated by the specialty grocery store Dawson’s Market, the MoCo Show reported. Alcohol will not be sold at this Trader Joe's location.
Here's what Trader Joe's said of the newest store: "At Trader Joe's in Rockville - Town Square , we see ourselves as your neighborhood grocery store. Step inside and you'll find unconventional and interesting products in the Trader Joe's label like Mandarin Orange Chicken and Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate, as well as everyday basics like milk, eggs and fresh produce. Most importantly, we offer all of our delicious, quality products at the very best prices. We’re happy to be part of your community, and proud to offer you unique products and an exceptional shopping experience, every day."
Existing Trader Joe's are located at 10076 Darnestown Road and 12268-H Rockville Pike, both in the Rockville area. The company also has two stores in Bethesda — 7900 Wisconsin Ave. and 6831 Wisconsin Ave. — and one in Silver Spring, 10741 Columbia Pike.
MOCO 360 reported E.P. Guidi Inc., a Pennsylvania-based construction company, renovated the space, according to a banner on the storefront.
The California-based grocery store chain currently has 581 stores in 42 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to stores that recently opened in Tennessee and Washington, Trader Joe’s plans to open five more stores in California; two each in Washington, D.C., New York, and Pennsylvania; and one each in Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington.
With its expansion plans, Trader Joe’s continues a 2024 growth spurt when it opened 34 new stores. More than half of them opened in the fourth quarter, according to Grocery Dive, which said the company's expansion strategy is focused on bolstering the brand in states where it already has a presence rather than moving into new states.
The eight states that don’t have a Trader Joe’s are Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, and West Virginia.
Trader Joe’s saw foot traffic up nearly 13 percent, an increase of nearly 9 percent from March 2024, according to the retail data analytics firm Placer.ai.