Trader Joe’s fans will have to wait
You’d think it was another Costco, or a first-in-the-state Buc-ee’s, the way people are reacting to the mere rumor of another popular specialty retail chain opening a second store in the OKC area.
“Ohhhhhhhhh,” is all Ashley N. could muster in a post on the Nextdoor neighborhood app.
“Hope,” Gail R. agreed.
“I would be the happiest person on earth!!” Nancy L. declared.
Sorry, y’all.
Trader Joe’s sniffed around OKC for a second location
Trader Joe’s is not adding another location in the OKC metro area.
Despite looking for a site in Edmond last fall (confirmed anonymously by a commercial property broker), and looking (maybe) at University Town Center in Norman (according to another anonymous broker), and despite the “Bring Trader Joe’s to Norman” Facebook page being up for three years, no.
Trader Joe’s said one store around here, at 6409 Avondale Drive in Nichols Hills, is enough for now.
“We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year. At this time, we do not have a location confirmed in Oklahoma,” said Nakia Rohde, public relations manager for Trader Joe’s.
Local sources wanted anonymity because negotiations on national chain store site selection are delicate, and the premature release of information can blow a deal, sour a broker’s relationship with a chain, and sully a negotiator’s reputation.
University Town Center didn’t immediately return an inquiry. Nor did the Edmond Economic Development Authority.
It’s probably just a matter of time before Trader Joe’s lands another store in or close to Oklahoma City.
“Trader Joe’s has one of the best brand followings in retail and, to date, they’ve always taken the position that they can serve the OKC metro area with one store. However, there’s no doubt that our market can support more stores with Edmond and Norman being the most logical next steps,” said Jim Parrack, senior vice president and retail property specialist with Price Edwards & Co.
There could even be room in the market for more than that, said Mark Inman, senior vice president and retail specialist with CBRE Group.
“In my opinion, to adequately cover the OKC area, they need additional stores in north OKC/Edmond, Moore/ Norman and maybe even west/Yukon,” Inman said.
Just don’t get in a hurry.
A Costco coming to OKC was rumored for 10 years before one opened in 2019 at 13200 N Western Ave.
Buc-ee’s fans and Beaver Nugget aficionados can only pine for one of the huge stores with those sweet treats and more.
And so we wait to see what Trader Joe’s might do.