(Hyku/Flickr)By Serena Solomon
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — Apple is not the only big company opening a store on the Upper West Side.
After months of speculation, Trader Joe's has confirmed reports that it will open a store on 72nd and Broadway, a spokesperson for the popular California grocery chain said Friday.
"We are scheduled to open a store there early next year but we have not confirmed a date," said Alison Mochizuki, the public relations manager for Trader Joe's.
Trader Joe's has built a reputation for low prices on basic food staples such as bread, milk, fresh produce as well as a gourmet section featuring imported cheese and wines. The customer-friendly store is also popular for its specialty items like organic produce and gluton-free selections.
The announcement stamped out rumors that Trader Joe's had pulled out of the development, with several reports saying the economy put the brakes on the deal.
The West Side Independent reported back in September that the plan had been canned after Trader Joe's released a statement denying any plans for an Upper West Side store.
The new location will cut into the territory of gourmet food sellers Fairway, Citarella and Zabar’s, all just blocks away from the prosed Trader Joe's site on the Upper West Side.
“Nobody wants to have a bunch of competition, and obviously the same people would shop there as shop with us,” Steve Jenkins, Fairway’s manager, told New York Magazine last year when Trader Joe's plans were first announced. “But we’ve taken competition before, and we’ve kicked their butts.”
The Upper West Side location will be the second Trader Joe's in Manhattan. Trader Joe's opened up its first store on 14th Street in Union Square in March 2006.
Chelsea may be the next place Trader Joe's opens its doors. The grocery chain signed a lease for retail space at the Mattel Building on Sixth Avenue and West 21st Street, the Observer reported Thursday.
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