DeathFebruary 282020

Joe Coulombe

Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe's (born 1930)

Everything on February 28Original source

In context

When
Friday, February 28 20206 years ago
Category
DeathA notable person who died on this day.
Era
21st century · 2020s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed
Person
Joe Coulombe

At a glance

Born 1930-06-03; died 2020-02-28.

Who they were

Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe's (born 1930)

Early life

Early life and education Coulombe was born in San Diego , California, and grew up on an avocado farm in nearby Del Mar . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] After serving a year in the U.S. Air Force , he attended Stanford University , where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1952 and a Master of Business Administration degree in 1954. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Coulombe was a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda . [ 4 ] ^ Rogers, John (March 1, 2020). "Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe's grocery chain,

Path and career

Career Coulombe started his career at Rexall , a chain of American drugstores. In 1958, he was asked to test the launch of Pronto Markets, a store brand to compete against 7-Eleven . After running six Pronto Markets in the Los Angeles area, Rexall asked Coulombe to liquidate them; he decided to buy them out instead. [ 1 ] In 1967, Coulombe changed the name Pronto Markets to Trader Joe's . He led the chain to success and sold it in 1979 to German billionaire Theo Albrecht ,

Why this date

Joe Coulombe appears on our February 28 calendar for 2020 as a death entry.

February 28 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 19971997 Ardabil earthquake
  2. 20012001 Nisqually earthquake
  3. 2001Selby rail crash
  4. 20022002 Gujarat violence
  5. 2013Pope Benedict XVI
  6. 2020Joe Coulombe
  7. 2021Greater Manchester
  8. 2023Tempi train crash
  9. 2024Prime minister
  10. 20262026 Iran war
  11. 2026United States

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Everything we record for 2020 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Joe Coulombe”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/joe-coulombe-2020-february-28, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Joe Coulombe happen?

February 28 2020 — 6 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

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