Trader Joe’s in Tucson   101 N. Wilmot Road   4766 E. Grant Road   7912 N. Oracle Road

Trader Joe’s, the California-based chain of specialty grocery stores, is planning to open its fourth store in Tucson, on the northwest corner of North Campbell Avenue and East Limberlost Drive. Although construction has yet to start, the company hopes to be in business there by the fourth quarter of this year or early next year, said Pat St. John, spokeswoman at Trader Joe’s headquarters in Monrovia, Calif. About 25 small buildings will be torn down at the new North Side site, including the building currently occupied by Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler, said Steve Scannell, vice president with Transmark Co., which is leasing the space to Trader Joe’s. Transmark, a commercial real-estate development firm with offices in Tucson and Greenwood Village, Colo., has built other stores here including those for Walgreens and Big 5 Sporting Goods. The new Trader Joe’s will be 12,000 square feet, just slightly larger than its existing Tucson stores, said Doug Yokomizo, vice president and general counsel for the retailer. The size won’t change the product mix offered, but it will allow the store to have wider aisles, he said. Plans for the store have been submitted to the city, and developers are awaiting feedback. “Our hope is to be able to start construction in 60 to 90 days,” Scannell said. Trader Joe’s signed a long-term lease with Transmark, although Scannell declined to disclose the terms of the deal. The company opened its first Tucson store in 1994, in El Dorado Center at 1101 N. Wilmot Road, on the northwest corner at East Speedway. “There are things that I only buy there because they’re the only ones that carry them,” said Elouise Rusk, owner of Obsidian Gallery, 4320 N. Campbell Ave. in St. Philip’s Plaza. The new Trader Joe’s will be near the plaza. “It will be good for St. Philip’s and the other shopping centers in this area,” Rusk said. “I can hardly wait. I think it will be fabulous. We all want it.” Since its arrival here, Trader Joe’s has gained a loyal following, particularly among health- and value-conscious shoppers. Many of its products are upscale specialty foods and wine at below-average prices. “We like to locate our stores in areas where there’s a concentration of well-educated people who like food,” St. John said. Trader Joe’s in Tucson

 

101 N. Wilmot Road 4766 E. Grant Road 7912 N. Oracle Road