Costco, Trader Joe’s Among Major Retail, Restaurant Expansions In 2025

CALIFORNIA — While some retailers and pharmacy chains scale back their footprint in the Golden State, others have their sights set on expansion in the new year.

Here are a few of the big businesses with big plans for California in 2025:

Trader Joe's

Monrovia-based grocer Trader Joe's unveiled plans in 2024 to open more than two dozen new stores across the country, with roughly a third of the new outposts headed for Southern California. Since then, new Trader Joe's have opened for business in Murrieta, Ladera Ranch, Santee, Poway, South Pasadena, Santa Clarita and Vista.

In 2025, Trader Joe's plans to open more stores in Northridge, Sherman Oaks and Tarzana. Specific opening dates have yet to be announced.

Target

In the wake of a big restructuring and pullback on small-format stores, Minneapolis-based discount retailer Target announced plans to open hundreds of new, full-sized stores over the next decade.

The retailer has now unveiled specific plans for a few dozen stores on the near horizon, including a new 148,000-square-foot Target coming to southeast Fresno, and a 63,000-square-foot store opening soon in South Lake Tahoe.

Costco

Membership-only big-box titan Costco recently confirmed plans to open 29 new warehouses in 2025, with about a third located outside the United States. Two California cities, however, will be among the first to welcome the home of the $1.50 hot dog and soda in 2025.

According to Costco's website, new warehouses in Highland and Brentwood are on track to open in March. In the Bay Area, new Costco warehouses opened in 2024 in Napa and Pleasanton.

In-N-Out

In-N-Out Burger is moving forward with ambitious expansion plans in the new year as the beloved SoCal-born fast-food chain looks to expand its Pacific Northwest footprint with its first restaurant in Washington state and its third outpost in Idaho.

Not to be outdone on its home turf, In-N-Out has also confirmed plans to open three new locations in Southern California.

Opening soon:

• Anaheim (540 N. Euclid Street)
• Carson (20512 Avalon Blvd.)
• Sylmar (13864 Foothill Blvd.)

Alamo Drafthouse

Known for its food and drink service and strict enforcement of "no talking or texting" policies, the Austin-based theater chain Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will double its California footprint next summer with the opening of two Silicon Valley locations.

The new theaters in Santa Clara and Mountain View will have 10 auditoriums, luxury recliners, 4K digital projection systems and Dolby Atmos sound. They join the Alamo theater in San Francisco, soon to celebrate its 10th anniversary, and Alamo Drafthouse Los Angeles, which opened at The Bloc in 2019.

Sony Pictures purchased the company in June, two years after the theater chain filed for bankruptcy.