Trader Joe’s expected to expand in the Charlotte area with Matthews store

The identity of the planned grocery store in a Matthews development has been confirmed.

While presenting updated architectural changes for the Matthews Gateway project to the Matthews Board of Commissioners on May 12, Planning Director Jay Camp said the plans include “what we still expect to be a Trader Joe’s.”

Matthews Gateway is a nearly 64-acre mixed-used project on East John Street, off Interstate 485.

The specialty grocer’s plans were alluded to in July when commissioners approved changes to the Matthews Gateway project that included a grocery store with illustration signage similar to Trader Joe’s. The 13,500-square-foot building is in the northeast part of development.

Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Nakia Rohde confirmed Friday that a store is planned in Matthews but could not confirm the location or timeline during the planning phase.

The Matthews store would be the fourth location in the Charlotte area. Commissioners deferred the vote on the plan to June 9 over landscaping concerns.

Trader Joe’s, based in Monrovia, California, is a national chain of neighborhood grocery stores known for a large selection of organic and specialty items. Trader Joe’s has 13 stores in North Carolina, according to the company’s website.

The grocer opened its first store in 1967 in Pasadena, California, and now has 543 stores in the U.S.

More grocery growth around Charlotte

Trader Joe’s joins a heated competition to capture a piece of the $10.4 billion Charlotte grocery market share, according to sales tracking firm Chain Store Guide.

There are 729 grocery stores in the Charlotte region, and more on the way:

▪ Discount German grocer Aldi will open a store at 9605 N. Tryon St. this summer.

▪ Sprouts expects to open its third Charlotte store in August at One NoDa Park, the Phoenix-based grocery chain told The Charlotte Observer. The mixed-use development by Avery Hall Southeast is on the corner of 36th and Tryon streets.

▪ Publix supermarket has at least five more store openings planned at: Wesley Chapel, The Arboretum, 10 Tryon building in uptown, Clear Creek Crossings and South Park.

▪ The West Boulevard Coalition is opening Charlotte’s first cooperative grocery store, Three Sisters Market. The full-service grocery store will debut in an area that has been without a traditional supermarket for over 30 years. It’s expected to open this year.

▪ In 2026, Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans will make its Charlotte debut with a 110,000-square-foot grocery store on the east side of Ballantyne in south Charlotte. Construction is underway.

▪ In 2027, Harris Teeter will open two 60,000-square-foot stores in York County, South Carolina — a Fort Mill store on Fort Mill Parkway and one in Lake Wylie at 5366 Hwy. 55 E., according to The Herald.

▪ Last year, Mecklenburg County commissioners OK’d $1.5 million for California-based grocer Spangler’s to build an 8,000-square-foot store at Kohler and Statesville avenues, north of uptown.

▪ Historic West End Partners will open a 15,000-square-foot cooperative grocery store in partnership with Weaver Street Market, which has four stores in the Raleigh region. It’s part of the grassroots group’s larger development plan that includes 290 apartments.

This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 2:04 PM.