MIDDLETOWN - Trader Joe's is eying a 2024 opening for its new store on Route 35.
On Thursday, the company touted its Middletown location on its website with a "Coming 2024" banner.
Trader Joe's is taking a 14,068-square-foot store, located at an end of Middletown Plaza, a part of the shopping center closest to Harmony Road. It has been vacant since Walgreens, which converted it from a Rite Aid pharmacy in 2019, closed in February 2022.
A Trader Joe's spokeswoman said the company will be able to provide further details as they become available. There was one other bit of news: the Middletown store will not sell beer, wine or liquor. Alcohol sales are only allowed in two locations: Westfield and West Windsor.
Trader Joe's has three stores in Monmouth and Ocean counties, with locations in Shrewsbury, Freehold Township and Brick.
Known for its produce, frozen food and meals, Trader Joe's is a hit with foodies, offering more than 3,000 items under its own private label. It introduces about a dozen new items every month.
It brings a food retailer back to the shopping center owned by Brixmor Property Group after ShopRite moved out of its 20-year-old supermarket space and opened a new store across the highway in 2021. Home products and furnishings retailer At Home recently opened in the ShopRite space.
"The addition of Trader Joe’s at Middletown Plaza fulfills our goal to bring best-in-class retailers that meet the needs of the community," said David Vender, Brixmor's executive vice president, in a statement to What's Going There. "We are currently in negotiations with additional retailers that will further enhance the merchandising mix and create a center that best serves the Middletown community.”
Currently, the store's facade is being renovated and barriers are up in front of the store.
David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 25 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There and Press on Your Side columns and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Trader Joe's will open Middletown store on Route 35 in 2024