The people have voted. The Myrtle Beach area needs a Trader Joe’s.
It wasn’t even close.
After one week of voting, Sun News readers voted that they wanted to see a Trader Joe’s open in Myrtle Beach the most.
More than 2,300 people participated in the final round of voting, and Trader Joe’s received more than 1,200 votes or 52 percent of the total.
“We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year,” Trader Joe’s Public Relations Manager Nakia Rohde wrote in an email. “At this time, we do not have a location confirmed in Myrtle Beach.”
The poll gave voters five options to choose from: Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Cheesecake Factory, Whole Foods and Macy’s.
The grocery chain Wegmans finished in second with more than 550 votes, 24 percent of the total cast. The Cheesecake Factory finished in third with more than 360 votes and Whole Foods finished in fourth with about 160. Macy’s came in last with about 60 votes cast.
The five stores picked were the most frequent answers in the reader survey about what stores were missing from the Myrtle Beach area. Readers also said they wanted more food options to choose from. Survey participants heavily emphasized healthy, diverse and affordable eating choices.
Currently, South Carolina only has three Trader Joe’s. The closest ones to Myrtle Beach are in Mount Pleasant and Wilmington, North Carolina.
Despite being an hour-and-a-half-drive both ways, some Myrtle Beach residents travel to Wilmington to shop there.
Rohde added the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast episode 52 goes over how the company selects locations for its stores.
Wegmans also has no plans for a grocery store in Myrtle Beach currently, Senior Public Relations Coordinator Marcie Rivera said in an email. Rivera added that Wegamans’ new store criteria include a large enough site for the store with space for sufficient parking, between 15 to 18 acres. A densely populated area that is growing and “great location and regional access,” according to Rivera.
“Our restaurant development team is always on the lookout for premier sites to further grow The Cheesecake Factory brand presence, and all sites that fit our criteria for success will be seriously considered,” Senior Director, Public Relations & Global Branding at The Cheesecake Factory Alethea Rowe said in an email.
