Business Advocate talks up trying to lure supermarket here
By Andrew Corselli, Staff Writer
There is a much-ballyhooed campaign to bring Trader Joe’s to Hillsborough.
Township Business Advocate Gene Strupinsky said the idea to bring the health food supermarket to the township “has been floating around for a long time” and, although he isn’t positive who’s spearheaded it, he has done his best to further the efforts.
He encourages residents to fill out on-line requests to the company. He also speaks to owners of shopping centers, like Hillsborough Promenade and Hillsborough Plaza, every chance he gets to see if they would be willing to accommodate a Trader Joe’s within their respective vacancies.
”The problem with the Promenade (which will have an open spot when Pathmark closes in April) is that Trader Joe’s doesn’t usually take that sized space,” he said. “They’ve got 55,000 square feet there whereas Cost Cutters (in Hillsborough Plaza) is 22,000 square feet, much closer to what a typical Trader Joe’s would use.”
Mr. Strupinky said that there is only so much that residents can do to petition Trader Joe’s, which specializes in organic foods and uses no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, genetically modified ingredients, MSG or added trans fats in its food products. The store has certain requirements prior to choosing a new location.
”There’s a whole series of demographic requirements that each of these stores has,” he said. “What kind of income levels are in the area, what the population is, how close another Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods is (or) whether it would go in a shopping center or free standing. Hillsborough might not be the easiest place to do it or it might not be far enough away from (other similar stores).”
Mr. Strupinsky has e-mailed Kimco Realty Corporation, the owner of Hillsborough Promenade, on Tuesday to seek figures to see if they matched Trader Joe’s’ criteria. Once he kicks those numbers around, he will reach out to Trader Joe’s corporate office in Los Angeles.
The allure of having a Trader Joe’s in Hillsborough works two-fold. First, it would attract out-of-towners who want to shop for the health food that the store sells, which, of course, would bring in more revenue for the township, he said. It would also create another rival with Shop-Rite, which has a stranglehold on the supermarket game in town, according to Mr. Strupinsky. There’s a Stop & Shop a bit further south on Route 206.
”People go long distances to (shop at) Trader Joe’s,” he said, seeking the quality, freshness and organic, health-oriented food.
Those interested in bringing a Trader Joe’s to Hillsborough can fill out the on-line petition at http://www.traderjoes.com/about/location-requests-form.asp or “like” the “Bring Trader Joe’s to Hillsborough” Facebook page.

