Trader Joe's plans to open new grocery store in Miller Place
Trader Joe’s confirmed it plans to open a grocery store in Miller Place but the grocer would not provide more details.
“We do not have a location or timeline to confirm,” said Nakia Rohde, spokeswoman for the Monrovia, California-based chain of about 600 stores.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, the Town of Brookhaven approved plans for a grocery store in a development being called the Market at Miller Place, at 302 Route 25A.
The building plans for the 13,500-square-foot store approved by the town board do not specify that the store will be a Trader Joe’s. But the renderings in the site plan approved by the board show a store whose design and color scheme are similar to Trader Joe's signature look.
Building plans were submitted to the town in May 2023, town spokesman Jack Krieger said.
The vacant 2.83-acre site in Miller Place is adjacent to the west of the Walgreens drugstore on the south side of Route 25A.
That area is in Brookhaven’s District 2, which is represented by Councilwoman Jane Bonner.
While she declined to discuss whether the store will be a Trader Joe’s, she said it will be a welcome addition to the community.
“I feel confident that the community will be very happy when the project is completed. Market at Miller Place is the boutique market the community has wanted for a long time,” she said.
She expects the project to receive its building permits in February and construction to start soon afterward, if weather permits.
The project’s developer and property owner, Breslin Realty Development Corp. in Garden City, declined to comment.
Trader Joe’s routinely has non-disclosure agreements with developers for its stores.
The grocer has seven stores on Long Island, including locations in Commack, Hewlett and Lake Grove.
Among all grocery-store companies in the United States, Trader Joe’s ranked 15th, with 1.46% of the market share as of Sept. 30, according to Numerator, a Chicago-based market research firm. Walmart ranked first, with 21.2%, followed by Kroger, with 9.33%.
But Trader Joe’s has a strong following, partly because of its “creative item selection,” including specialty and ethnic food offerings, said Jeff Metzger, publisher of Food Trade News, a Columbia, Maryland-based publication.
“Consumers like that so-called treasure hunt of shopping. It’s not a mundane experience,” he said.
Among retail grocery sellers, including warehouse clubs and drugstores, Trader Joe’s has the highest sales per square foot nationally, he said.
Part of that is due to the stores, which average about 15,000 to 20,000 square feet, being smaller than typical supermarkets, Metzger said.
The average size of grocery stores nationwide last year was 48,575 square feet, according to FMI, an Arlington, Virginia-based trade group that represents the food industry.
Most of Trader Joe’s center-aisle products — the canned and boxed non-perishable items — are the grocer’s own private-label brands, but the chain shouldn’t be categorized as a discounter, Metzger said.
“The private label is going to be less expensive than the national brand but not necessarily less expensive than the other supermarket chains’ private label,” he said.
Trader Joe’s confirmed it plans to open a grocery store in Miller Place but the grocer would not provide more details.
“We do not have a location or timeline to confirm,” said Nakia Rohde, spokeswoman for the Monrovia, California-based chain of about 600 stores.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, the Town of Brookhaven approved plans for a grocery store in a development being called the Market at Miller Place, at 302 Route 25A.
The building plans for the 13,500-square-foot store approved by the town board do not specify that the store will be a Trader Joe’s. But the renderings in the site plan approved by the board show a store whose design and color scheme are similar to Trader Joe's signature look.
Building plans were submitted to the town in May 2023, town spokesman Jack Krieger said.
The vacant 2.83-acre site in Miller Place is adjacent to the west of the Walgreens drugstore on the south side of Route 25A.
That area is in Brookhaven’s District 2, which is represented by Councilwoman Jane Bonner.
While she declined to discuss whether the store will be a Trader Joe’s, she said it will be a welcome addition to the community.
“I feel confident that the community will be very happy when the project is completed. Market at Miller Place is the boutique market the community has wanted for a long time,” she said.
She expects the project to receive its building permits in February and construction to start soon afterward, if weather permits.
The project’s developer and property owner, Breslin Realty Development Corp. in Garden City, declined to comment.
Trader Joe’s routinely has non-disclosure agreements with developers for its stores.
The grocer has seven stores on Long Island, including locations in Commack, Hewlett and Lake Grove.
'Not a mundane experience'
Among all grocery-store companies in the United States, Trader Joe’s ranked 15th, with 1.46% of the market share as of Sept. 30, according to Numerator, a Chicago-based market research firm. Walmart ranked first, with 21.2%, followed by Kroger, with 9.33%.
But Trader Joe’s has a strong following, partly because of its “creative item selection,” including specialty and ethnic food offerings, said Jeff Metzger, publisher of Food Trade News, a Columbia, Maryland-based publication.
“Consumers like that so-called treasure hunt of shopping. It’s not a mundane experience,” he said.
Among retail grocery sellers, including warehouse clubs and drugstores, Trader Joe’s has the highest sales per square foot nationally, he said.
Part of that is due to the stores, which average about 15,000 to 20,000 square feet, being smaller than typical supermarkets, Metzger said.
The average size of grocery stores nationwide last year was 48,575 square feet, according to FMI, an Arlington, Virginia-based trade group that represents the food industry.
Most of Trader Joe’s center-aisle products — the canned and boxed non-perishable items — are the grocer’s own private-label brands, but the chain shouldn’t be categorized as a discounter, Metzger said.
“The private label is going to be less expensive than the national brand but not necessarily less expensive than the other supermarket chains’ private label,” he said.
Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
