FRANKLIN, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear joined local officials to break ground on a new Simpson County facility for Trader Joe’s East Inc., a leading retail distributor and supplier of food and beverage products.

What You Need To Know

  • The new facility is projected to create 876 full-time jobs behind an investment of over $259 million

  • The project, announced in September 2022, established a new, 1 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution, warehousing and cold storage center in Simpson County’s Stone-Givens Industrial Park

  • The over $259 million investment created 91 direct full-time jobs, but the full scope of the project includes 876 total jobs, with the balance being contracted positions

  • Trader Joe’s investment and planned job creation adds to the economic boom sweeping across the state

The governor announced the groundbreaking in a news release on Friday. The new facility is projected to create 876 full-time jobs behind an investment of over $259 million.

“Leading companies like Trader Joe’s are choosing Kentucky for our exceptional workforce,” said 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 project, announced in September 2022, established a new, 1 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution, warehousing and cold storage center in Simpson County’s Stone-Givens Industrial Park to serve growing customer demands. The investment created 91 direct full-time jobs, but the full scope of the project includes 876 total jobs, with the balance being contracted positions.

The governor’s office said that the new facility will benefit from infrastructure upgrades already in the works for the Stone-Givens Industrial Park, including the construction of industrial access roads and improvements at the site to encourage economic growth.

Simpson County Judge/Executive Mason Barnes spoke on the scope of the project.

“We are very excited to announce that Trader Joe’s will become part of our community here in Simpson County. Trader Joe’s will locate in the Stone-Givens Industrial Park and use approximately 160-acres for their development. Their investment in our community will be the largest to date in terms of size, dollars invested and employment. Trader Joe’s operation brings some much-needed diversity to our industrial base,” said Barnes.

“Although Trader Joe’s has other distribution facilities in the U.S., this facility in Simpson County will be the only one of its type. It will be a distribution and assembly center and will also serve as the mid-America hub for Trader Joe’s. They will be a tremendous asset to our local economy and to job seekers in this entire region,” Barnes added.

Trader Joe’s investment and planned job creation adds to the economic boom sweeping across the state. With the addition of new jobs, Beshear says over 43,000 full-time jobs have been created in the state over the past two years.

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