Trader Joe's Trader Joe's Trader Joe's is an American chain of grocery stores based in Monrovia, California. By 2015, it was a competitor in "fresh format" grocery stores in the United States. As of October 12, 2017, Trader Joe's had 474 stores nationwide in 43 states and in Washington, D.C. The first Trader Joe's store was opened by founder Joe Coulombe in 1967 in Pasadena, California. Starting in 1979, it was owned by German entrepreneur Theo Albrecht, until his death in 2010, when ownership passed to his heirs. Trader Joe's is a subsidiary of German supermarket chain ALDI Nord. The company has
Theo Albrecht hobbies such as golf and pastimes including the collecting of antique typewriters. Theodor had, as do members of the Albrecht family now, a highly secure estate overlooking the Ruhr valley. Obsessed with frugality, Theodor is said to have collected and used pencil stubs frequently. He was also known to wear cheaper, poorly fitting suits and preferred plain meals with many potatoes. When he was asked to approve the plans for a new store in the Netherlands, he stated that the design was good but the paper it was drawn on was too thick: "If you use thinner paper we will