Popular grocery chain Trader Joe’s is adding to the size of its Metairie location on Veterans Memorial Boulevard, expanding into the space that was previously occupied by Jefferson Feed next door. 

Jefferson Feed vacated the space last month, when it moved one spot down in the Metairie strip center to empty space that previously housed a day spa. 

A sign posted near the entrance of Trader Joe’s says, “pardon our construction while we expand.”  

The store’s manager, Scott Walsh, declined to comment on the expansion, saying the company does discuss its business in the local media. But Jefferson Parish Council member Scott Walker posted on social media that construction is expected to last about one month.

The additional 2,500 square feet will primarily be used for warehouse space, according to Donna Smith, a commercial broker with Stirling, which manages the retail center.   

Trader Joe’s 14,000-square-foot Metairie location opened in the fall of 2016, occupying nearly half the 31,000 strip shopping center near the busy intersection of Veterans and Causeway Boulevard.

The store is one of two Louisiana locations for the California-based chain. The other location, in Baton Rouge near the LSU campus, opened in 2013. 

Jefferson Feed’s move came at the request of Trader Joe’s, said Ryan Hebert, a Jefferson Feed manager. 

“They needed additional space and we were happy to slide down one space to accommodate them,” Hebert said. “We like being next door and it was an opportunity to move into a new store with roughly the same amount of square footage.” 

Though otherwise unchanged from its previous location, the layout of the new Jefferson Feed store has private, instead of shared, do-it-yourself dog washing spaces, Hebert said.  

Trader Joe’s expansion in Metairie comes as the popular Aldi supermarket chain is also expanding in the market. In early January, Aldi’s opened its third location in the metro area in less than one year, with a new location on Veterans near Power Boulevard.

Aldi, which in 2022 also opened three locations in Acadiana, has said more south Louisiana stores are on the way.