Buying Trader Joe's Stock: Is It Public?

Trader Joe's is a very popular supermarket chain. According to a 2025 YouGov survey, it was the third-most popular grocery store chain in the U.S. Fans love its quirky products, low prices, and great customer service.

The company's popularity has made it a very successful grocery store operator, driven by its smaller storefronts and focus on stocking low-priced and interesting products that fly off the shelves.

Fans of Trader Joe's and interested investors might be wondering whether they can buy its stock to capitalize on its success. Unfortunately, that's not possible yet because the company hasn't completed an initial public offering (IPO). However, people interested in investing in the grocery stock have alternatives to consider.

The company's net sales totaled $249.6 billion in its 2024 fiscal year, a 5% increase from the prior year. Meanwhile, Costco is tremendously profitable, producing $7.37 billion in net income for the year.

Kroger

Kroger (NYSE:KR) is one of the world's largest food retailers. The company rang up $147.1 billion in total sales during 2024 and had more than 2,700 supermarkets and multidepartment stores. Kroger operates several local grocery store banners, including Kroger, Ralphs, Harris Teeter, and Fred Meyer.

Walmart

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) is a behemoth in the retail industry. It provides lower-priced groceries and merchandise to more than 255 million customers and members weekly at its 10,797 retail stores and e-commerce sites across 19 countries.

The global retail giant tallied $681 billion in revenue during its 2024 fiscal year. The company's revenue will likely continue rising in 2025 as it grows sales at existing locations and adds new ones around the world.

Investors who want to buy one of Trader Joe's competitors can purchase shares in any brokerage account. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to invest in stocks like grocer Trader Joe's.

1. Open your brokerage account: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments.
2. Search for the stock: Enter the ticker or company name into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
3. Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
4. Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
5. Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
6. Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.

Since Trader Joe's isn't a publicly traded company, you can't use an ETF to gain passive exposure to its stock. However, you can use them to invest more broadly in the grocery and retail sectors. Two notable retail ETFs to consider are:

• SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEMKT:XRT): This ETF allows you to invest broadly across the U.S. retail sector. The fund had a relatively equal weighting to 77 retail companies in mid-2025, including Costco (1.25% of its holdings), Walmart (1.31%), and Kroger (1.42%). It had a 0.35% gross ETF expense ratio.
• VanEck Retail ETF (NASDAQ:RTH): This fund enables investors to focus on 26 of the top U.S. retail stocks. Costco (8.11% of the fund's assets), Walmart (8.90%), and Kroger (2.57%) were all among its holdings in mid-2025. The ETF also had a 0.35% expense ratio.

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The bottom line on Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is one of the most popular grocery stores. Unfortunately, its fans can't invest in the supermarket chain and share in its success because it's not a publicly traded company. However, they can invest in the grocery sector, which can be a good long-term investment.