Trader Joe’s confirmed that its next Florida store will be in Sarasota.
The California-based specialty grocery chain with German roots is converting a former Staples storefront at 8199 S. Tamiami Trail, in a plaza that was once a Kmart location.
“We’ve consulted our maps and compass and have found a terrific location for a store in Sarasota, FL,” a corporate release said. This will be the second Trader Joe’s in Sarasota.
Sarasota’s Beneva Road and Tamiami Trail emerge as grocery hub
The crossroads of Tamiami Trail and Beneva Road — which turns into Vamo Road on the west side of the trail — is in the midst of transformation into a hub where residents can pick from as many as four major purveyors of groceries.
Torburn Partners is reinventing the former Sarasota Square Mall property into a walkable town center accompanied by 1,200 residences.
The existing Costco Wholesale Warehouse store will be joined by a Whole Foods Market — both stores will be a scant few hundred yards away from the new Trader Joe’s.
Sprouts Farmers Market opened in 2017 in Benderson Development Corp.-owned Pelican Plaza, located roughly a half-mile south of the Beneva Road/Tamiami Trail crossroads.
Located on the edge of Palmer Ranch and minutes away from the entrances to both Siesta Key and Casey Key, the area is poised to become a bountiful marketplace for discerning grocery shoppers.
Trader Joe’s continues on a national expansion
The new opening is part of Trader Joe’s expansion plans for the coming months, which include at least three more Florida locations and new stores in Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
“We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country, including many in Florida, as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year,” wrote Nakia Rohde in an email responding to an inquiry by USA TODAY Network-Florida. “At this time, I can confirm we have plans for stores in West Palm Beach, Sarasota, Kissimmee, and Maitland.”
Aldi, which like Trader Joe’s can trace its corporate roots to a company founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in Essen, Germany, is in the midst of an expansion in Florida and the United States as well.
Earlier this month, Aldi opened a new store in North Port, in fast-growing Wellen Park, virtually across the street from the Costco Wholesale Warehouse that opened in June 2024.
This year marks Aldi’s 50th anniversary in the U.S. The new stores are part of the chain’s rapid expansion plan to open more than 180 new stores nationwide in 2026.
While Trader Joe’s is seeking to open its second store in Sarasota County, there are now eight Aldi stores in Sarasota County.
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Trader Joe’s confirms highly anticipated Sarasota store
Reporting by Earle Kimel and C. A. Bridges, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
