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Article: Trader Joe's Carves Out Niche.
- Article from:
- San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, CA)
- Article date:
- January 13, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 San Jose Mercury News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: John Boudreau
Jan. 13--Enter the new Trader Joe's in Los Altos, and it's as if you've walked in on a party.
The 11,000-square-foot store is decorated with palm trees. Workers wear Hawaiian shirts, jeans or khaki shorts and smiles. And there are crowds of people -- for despite the down economy, there are usually plenty of people at Trader Joe's.
In the highly competitive world of grocery retailing, Trader Joe's is an anomaly: a niche player that offers high-end gourmet food at low-end prices, often under brand names like Trader Ming's or Trader Giotto's. And so far that formula is working.
Trader Joe's appears to be thriving, ...