In June, the Concord Patch squashed a rumor making the rounds in New Hampshire’s capital: the truth is that gourmet grocer Trader Joe's is not opening a new store on Loudon Road. The comments section for the article quickly filled up with complaints from residents tired of driving to Nashua for dark chocolate-covered salted almonds, cheap wine and artichoke pesto…one fan even started a petition to lure the popular store to the capital area.
One man has been profiting off Trader Joe's brand loyalty for the past two years. Michael Hallat buys hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of food at Trader Joe’s food in the U.S., and re-sells it across the border at “Pirate Joe’s” in vancouver. The chain filed a lawsuit against Michael in may, but he has yet to change his strategy – though it hasn’t been easy.
