Trader Joe?s will test durability of Boulder natural-foods grocers

Time
will tell whether what some have described as the most-competitive
natural-grocery market in the nation — Boulder — can handle one more
competitor. Monrovia, California-based Trader Joe’s has filed paperwork
with the Colorado Secretary of State to begin doing business in the
state, and many believe that one of its first stores will be in Boulder.

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Trader
Joe’s will join a natural-foods market that already includes multiple
Whole Foods stores, as well as Natural Grocer by Vitamin Cottage,
Lucky’s Market, Sprouts and Sunflower. Additionally, last year saw the
revival of longtime Boulder brand Alfalfa’s at Broadway and Arapahoe
Avenue.

Those stores compete not only with one another but
also with traditional grocers such as King Soopers and Safeway, which
continue to increase their inventory of natural and organic products to
serve the health-conscious Boulder lifestyle.

Trader Joe’s
has built a cult following as it has extended its reach throughout most
of the states. For years, Colorado and its well-served natural and
organic market were bypassed by the company as it focused on other
ground.

But Trader Joe’s appears to be ready for the
challenge. The question is, can Boulder handle yet another
natural-foods entrant, or is attrition likely?

One possible
location — identified by the Boulder Daily Camera as Twenty Ninth
Street — is just a block or two away from Whole Foods and Natural
Grocer by Vitamin Cottage at 28th and Pearl streets.

Despite
Boulder’s appetite for all things natural and organic, one has to
wonder whether a competitor as formidable as Trader Joe’s will be too
much for some of the other retailers. We predict that some of these
stores will begin to slash prices in the wake of the new competitive
atmosphere. (And even natural grocers struggle with the low profit
margins of the grocery industry.)

We also expect that
existing stores will continue to seek ways to distinguish themselves
from the competition, either through product offerings or other methods.

No
matter what happens, Trader Joe’s entrance will be good for consumers
and local organic farmers alike, with more product selection for the
former and more demand for the latter.

So, we say, “Welcome, Trader Joe’s.” But we hope your arrival does not mean “farewell” for any of Boulder’s existing grocers.