You Asked, We Got The Answer

THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
“Any chances with news in regarding the plan to set up a Trader Joe’s store in the future. If so, what location will it possible be?” -Scott Thompson via e-mail
Vice Mayor Angelique Ashby, who recently had a telephone meeting with an official from the grocery store chain, posted on the Facebook group “Bring Trader Joe’s to Natomas!

“Basically, their business model is to only open in what he called ‘mature’ neighborhoods. He said they are never the first in. I pressed pretty hard and said we already have several chain supermarkets and also explained that our Safeway is one of the top performers in Northern California. He was surprised about that. He asked me to name a couple intersections that he could research so I did. He agreed to give it a second look but warned me it was not likely a first pick for the region.”
“He did tell me that the Elk Grove store has not been what they had hoped it would be and really was a departure from their general business model. It isn’t really a dig on our community as much as it is a statement about their plan. They wait for communities to be very established (think East Sac) and then they move into an area where they get some of the business from an existing supermarket.”
“It is a long shot but I asked for a follow up since he agreed to give us a second look. He said they generally develop their annual goals each year in April or so (in time for the big conference in Las Vegas). I will follow up and I will keep pushing for Natomas, but know that it’s not an easy one for us. Not impossible, but not easy.”

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