Trader Joe’s, the California grocery chain, is invading the land of Zabar’s. It has already thronged locations on 14th Street and in Cobble Hill, and will now open a two-level store in a tower under construction at Broadway and 72nd Street next year, according to a proposal submitted to the local community board. It’s a foodie neighborhood, with Fairway and Citarella two blocks north and Zabar’s on West 80th Street. “Nobody wants to have a bunch of competition, and obviously the same people would shop there as shop with us,” says Steve Jenkins, Fairway’s manager. “But we’ve taken competition before, and we’ve kicked their butts.” Trader Joe’s declined to comment.

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• Archive: “Intelligencer”
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