Area Development
Trader Joe’s East Inc., a leading retail distributor and supplier of food and beverage products, will establish a distribution, warehousing and cold storage center in Simpson County, Kentucky. The more than $259 million project is expected to create 876 jobs.

The investment will include three buildings totaling 1-million-square-feet to be located at the Stone-Givens Industrial Park.

“Leading companies like Trader Joe’s are choosing Kentucky for our exceptional workforce,” said Governor Andy Beshear. “This new location is creating a significant number of new job opportunities for Kentuckians and will be a great addition to the Franklin community. I look forward to seeing Trader Joe’s continued success here in the commonwealth.”

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority approved $500,000 in tax incentives based on the company meeting employment goals over a 10-year period. By doing so the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

In addition, Trader Joe’s can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.

“When we created the new Stone-Givens Industrial Park we were hoping to attract a major client to Franklin,” noted Gary Broady, chairman of the Franklin Simpson Industrial Authority. “Trader Joe’s is a world class company, and we are very excited about their location in our newest industrial park. We certainly welcome the hundreds of jobs Trader Joe’s will be creating with their project.”

Trader Joe’s is a subsidiary of TACT Holding Inc. and is a leading retail distributor and supplier of food and beverage products, including canned foods, dry goods, sweets, grocery, beer and wine, frozen foods and other refrigerated products.