Podcasts like Inside Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is an American chain of grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. The chain has over 530 stores nationwide.

The first Trader Joe's store was opened in 1967 by founder Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California. It was owned by German entrepreneur Theo Albrecht from 1979 until his death in 2010, when ownership passed to his heirs. The company has offices in Monrovia and Boston, Massachusetts.

Trader Joe's is named after its founder, Joe Coulombe. The company began in 1958 as a Greater Los Angeles area chain known as Pronto Market convenience stores. Coulombe felt the original Pronto Markets were too similar to 7-Eleven and the competition would be too much.