There's a new type of Trader Joe's store that has opened in the Union Square area, and it will be the only location like it in the U.S.
The popular grocery chain has opened its Pronto shop on East 14th Street, in the same location where it's beloved Wine Shop had been before it's sudden closure in 2022. The new store is a grab-and-go style spot that will allow shoppers to get some meal favorites quickly, while not having to wait in line with those doing their regular grocery shopping.
The company said it is the only store like it they have, and there are no plans to make any others anywhere across the country.
"Trader Joe’s Pronto is a one-of-a-kind extension of our store in Union Square. This additional space allows us to carry more of the products our customers in this neighborhood purchase daily," a company spokesperson said. "We do not have plans to open additional Trader Joe’s Pronto markets in New York or elsewhere in the country."
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It comes after the chain raised the price of its individually-sold bananas by roughly 20%, to 23 cents from 19 cents — the first time the price has been raised since the store started selling bananas in 2001. The never-changing price tag became a selling point for the fruit, with signage at some Trader Joe's locations boasting about the store's refusal to increase the cost of potassium-rich produce.
The 19-cent bananas have proved so popular over the years that they recently made the Trader Joe's Product Hall of Fame.
In a statement to CNBC Make It, a representative for the brand said that the new price "still represents a tremendous everyday value for bananas."
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"We only change our prices when our costs change, and after holding our price for bananas at 19¢ each for more than two decades, we've now reached a point where this change is necessary," they said.
CNBC's Nicolas Vega contributed to this report.
