Tractor Supply Co. to open first store in Monmouth County

Listen to this article

Operator of farm and ranch store will open at Cox’s Corner Professional Center in Upper Freehold Township.Tractor Supply Co., the nation’s largest operator of farm and ranch stores, will open its first location in Monmouth County at Cox’s Corner Professional Center in Upper Freehold Township later this year, according to property manager Douglas Walsh.

The Keith Corp., a Charlotte, N.C.-based developer, closed on a 5.7-acre building lot at Cox’s Corner late last month, and plans to break ground in April on a 19,000-square-foot retail store and a 20,000-square-foot outdoor display facility for Tractor Supply. The new store, which will employ 12 workers, is expected to open about four months later, Walsh said.

The state’s horse industry is prevalent in Upper Freehold and neighboring Millstone Township, he said, noting that the new store will be located near the Horse Park of New Jersey, an equine exhibition facility that has horses year-round. Tractor Supply “wanted to find an area that was heavily infiltrated with farms and horse farms, that’s who they deal with,” Walsh said. Meanwhile, the township wanted businesses that supported its farming and horse farming industries and approved the site plan for the retail store in seven weeks, he said.

“This is going to be one of their best stores in New Jersey,” said Walsh. Zoning in the area is primarily for three- to six-acre lots; “anyone with zoning that large, usually has grass to cut, so they’re big on tractors and lawn mowers,” he said.

The success of Tractor Supply’s direct competitors in the area has reflected the strong local demand for farm and ranch products, he added. Rick’s Saddle Shop, also located in Upper Freehold, modernized and expanded its store by 20,000 square feet in the last few years, while Agway in New Egypt has also recently put on an addition. “When you’re growing your business and expanding, of course it leaves room for competition to come in,” said Walsh.

Tractor Supply, which has more than 912 stores in 44 states, has seven existing New Jersey locations in Ringoes, Flanders, Washington, Southampton, Blairstown, Sussex and Sicklerville.

Cox’s Corner, a 43-acre retail and office complex located at Exit 11 on Interstate 195 in Upper Freehold, currently houses a 10,000-square-foot Kiddie Academy and is the future site of an office building and 12,000-square-foot strip mall, both currently in development, according to Walsh. Ten additional parcels on the property remain available.

E-mail Evelyn Lee at [email protected]