Joe Coulombe, a retail visionary who founded the influential Trader Joe’s grocery chain and went on to become a food and wine commentator, amateur painter and Southern California philanthropist, has died.
Coulombe had been in declining health and more recently had been receiving hospice care. He died late Friday evening at his Pasadena home, according to his son who is also named Joe. He was 89.
“We’re going to miss him a lot,” said Joe, who lives in Seattle, Wash., with his wife, Wendy. “I think people are going to remember the wonderful Trader Joe’s concept he put in place, and especially his treatment of his employees. He really cared about them.”
He characterized his father as a Renaissance man who was not only astute at business but a unique thinker and a creator of vibrantly colored paintings who had a child-like interest in the world around him.
“He was always very curious about everything,” he said. “He was a prolific reader. He read all kinds of books — fiction and non-fiction — and when he’d get interested in something he would devour that topic. He was able to tap into trends he saw developing and leverage them.”
Coulombe’s curiosity led to the unique whimsy that holds true today at Trader Joe’s: the employees’ Hawaiian shirts and decor, the quirky catalog of goods and a sophisticated inventory of food priced modestly.
Early days
Born June 3, 1930 in San Diego, Coulombe grew up on an avocado ranch in Del Mar where three generations of his family shared a home. He served a year in the Air Force and later attended Stanford University where he received an undergraduate degree in economics and a master’s in business administration in 1954.
Coulombe gained more than an education at Stanford. He met his future wife, Alice Steere, there, too. They married in 1952 when both were graduate students and later settled in Pasadena where they raised three children.
Entering the retail world
Coulombe’s entry into the retail world began in 1958 when he was hired by Rexall Drugs to develop a chain of convenience stores modeled after 7-Eleven. He prepared for that project by working for free at a local grocery store to learn the retail ropes, and by and taking his wife and young son on drives throughout Los Angeles to study the demographics of different neighborhoods.
His son learned his numbers by counting parking spaces at potential store locations.
With Rexall’s backing, Coulombe opened and ran six Pronto Markets in the Los Angeles area. When the company later decided to shutter the stores, Coulombe bought them out instead.
The birth of Trader Joe’s
Pronto Markets continued to operate as convenience stores for another decade, but in the mid-1960s, they were threatened by 7-Eleven’s expansion into California. That prompted Coulombe to re-evaluate his game plan — a process that resulted in the birth of Trader’s Joe’s.
Coulombe wanted to create something different — stores offering a unique mix of products that were reasonably priced. Buoyed by changing demographics, he identified his target market as highly educated but underpaid consumers with sophisticated tastes.
The first Trader Joe’s opened on Arroyo Boulevard in Pasadena in 1967 and is still in operation. Coulombe owned and operated Trader Joe’s privately before selling it to German discount grocery retailer Aldi Nord in 1979.
Bob Phibbs, CEO of The Retail Doctor, a New York-based retail consulting firm, said Coulombe’s unique strategy worked.
“He saw the power of private brands long before others did, and he also presented a very curated store vibe with the Hawaiian shirts,” he said. “You knew when you walked into a Trader Joe’s that it was unique — not like a Ralph’s or something like that.”
Coulombe also designed and wrote Trader Joe’s advertising catalog, The Fearless Flyer, featuring cartoons and engaging information about featured products.
Company sold
The first Trader Joe’s opened on Arroyo Boulevard in Pasadena in 1967 and is still in operation. Coulombe owned and operated Trader Joe’s privately before selling it to German discount grocery retailer Aldi Nord in 1979.
Leroy Watson has fond memories of Trader Joe’s. He was the first employee hired by Coulombe to serve as a store manager at one of the Pronto Markets, and when Trader Joe’s was launched he was the first company employee there as well. He came on as a store manager and later became senior vice president of operations.
“Joe was marvelous to work for,” said Watson, 87, who now lives in Washington state. “He was an extremely thoughtful person, and he took care of his employees. He made sure they earned good wages and had good benefits and working conditions. I remember I couldn’t wait to get to work each morning.”
Coulombe stayed on as CEO until 1988 when, approaching his 60th birthday, he decided to retire to explore life beyond that as “Trader Joe.” The company had 19 stores then and has since grown to more than 500 locations in 42 states and the District of Columbia.
A template for other grocery chains
Retail analyst Burt Flickinger III said Trader Joe’s became a template for other grocery chains looking to emulate the company’s winning formula.
“John Mackey, Whole Foods’ CEO and co-founder, always said that Trader Joe’s was their toughest competition,” Flickinger said. “A lot of regional food retailers like Bristol Farms and similar chains across the U.S. and Canada tried to imitate certain elements, but none were ever able to duplicate that success.”
Trader Joe’s still retains the unique flavor Coulombe established for the grocery chain and the company has earned scores of loyal customers along the way. Products like Two Buck Chuck wine, avocados, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, frozen Orange chicken, and plantain chips continue to be top sellers.
Later years
In his later years Coulombe sat on a number of corporate boards, including Imperial Bank, Cost Plus World Market, Bristol Farms and True Religion Jeans. He worked steadily until retiring from the board of Cost Plus in 2013 at the age of 83.
“He was involved in a lot of philanthropy,” his son said. “He served on the boards at the Huntington Library, the Colburn School and the Los Angeles Opera. He really liked helping out. We’re going to miss his advice and intellectual curiosity.”
Joe Coulombe is survived by his wife, Alice Steere Coulombe, his three children and their spouses: Joe Coulombe and his wife Wendy of Seattle, Washington; Charlotte Schoenmann and her husband Stuart, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Madeleine Coulombe and her husband Nigel Simpson, of Melbourne, Australia. He is also survived by six grandchildren: Daniel and Julia Coulombe; Genevieve and Gabriel Schoenmann; and Odette and Valerie Simpson.