Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Take Stock Before Opening

There are more than a few vacant storefronts throughout Matawan and Aberdeen, and when asked, many residents say to fill the void.

But it’s not always that simple. Each company has it’s own standards and requirements that have to be met before they expand into an area, and even then, meeting those standards doesn’t necessarily mean the companies will come.

“It’s all laid out on the web,” said Whole Foods spokesman Michael Sinatra. “People always think it’s financially driven, they think it’s about income. But one thing we do look at is the number of college educated people in an area.”

Sinatra said that shoppers with college degrees are often more interested in the type of food they’re putting into their body, creating a demand for natural or organic foods.

Whole Food's and Trader Joe's invite people to visit their websites and suggest areas for new stores. According to the Whole Food’s site, some requirements include: having 200,000 or more people within a 20-minute drive time; a location that’s between 25,000 and 50,000 square feet; that there be a large number of college-educated residents; ample parking for the store’s exclusive use; a stand alone location preferably; easy access from roadways, lighted intersection; excellent visibility directly off the street; and that the location be in a high traffic area either by foot or vehicle.

In addition to filling storefronts in the area, Matawan will eventually have to fill the business portion of the mixed use property and potentially the business portion of

However, even if one of the areas met all of the company's requirements, Whole Foods may still not come, said Sinatra. The small company is just a little over 30 years old, and only has been in the Northeast for 10 years. The slowly expanding grocery chain expects to open just 20 to 35 new locations nationwide this year—with an eventual goal of 1,000 stores nationwide—with only one to four of those sites in the Tri-State area.

Sinatra said that for now the company is content with its locations in Princeton and the .

 “We’re very selective in what we do. We don’t grow fast in that every store is custom built for the community,” said Sinatra.

Like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s also encourages residents to suggest particular locations for new stores. The grocery chain did not return several calls from Patch. In addition, several real estate professionals in the area who have worked with Trader Joe's say they are forbidden to speak to the press about the grocery story chain.

The chain has about 375 stores and was founded in in the late 1950s. Supermarket Weekly ranked the chain No. 22 in its list of Top 75 food retailers in North America that achieved annual sales in excess of $1 billion.

Trader Joe’s also has been described by CNN Money as “an offbeat, fun discovery zone that elevates food shopping from a chore to a cultural experience. It stocks its shelves with a winning combination of low-cost, yuppie-friendly staples (cage-free eggs and organic blue agave sweetener) and exotic, affordable luxuries—Belgian butter waffle cookies or Thai lime-and-chili cashews—that you simply can't find anyplace else."

Plus, its Trader Joe’s line of foods is sought after by many shoppers, with the coffee, wine, chocolate and veggie burgers among the favorite purchases.

Panera Bread takes a different approach toward their new locations. According to their website, it is not possible to open a single bakery. Franchisees must follow an aggressive development schedule and open at least 15 bakeries within a period of six years in a certain geographic area. Franchisees have to apply and must have experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, a net worth of $7.5 million, infrastructure and resources to meet their development schedule and real estate experience in the market to be developed, among other requirements. 

If you want to do encourage either store to take a closer look at the Matawan-Aberdeen area, click here for Whole Foods, and here for Trader Joe’s. If you are interested in becoming a franchisee with Panera Bread, click here.