BJ's Wholesale breaks ground on Maryville location

Maryville came closer to boasting East Tennessee’s first BJ’s Wholesale Club location Thursday morning, July 18, as company representatives broke ground on their newest establishment. The building, which is already under construction beside Foothills Mall, should be open before the end of the year.

Basic memberships to the business start at $55, although the company offers a higher tier of membership with more benefits for $110.

The location should bring around 100 jobs to the local market.

Briana Keene, senior manager of external communications for BJ’s, said the company works to keep its prices up to 25% off grocery store rates. The Maryville location, which she said will be around 100,000 square feet, will offer the company’s standard array of services including gas pumps, eyecare, groceries and more.

BJ’s is the latest in a series of footprint changes for Foothills Mall. After big-ticket merchants Sears and JCPenney closed in 2019 and 2020, the mall has been working to fill the open spaces in its retail space.

Last year, Publix opened at the old Sears location at the mall’s south end. BJ’s will sit at the north end, taking up the space held by the now-demolished JCPenney building and eating into a few other merchant spots in the mall, according to previous reporting from The Daily Times.

Maryville staff said the wholesale club, which operates similarly to Costco Wholesale, began communicating with the city at the beginning of last year. City staff received an initial concept plan in February 2023, with final approval for the project arriving in March of this year.

Keene said company management has eyed Maryville, selecting this region over the surrounding area because of the local market. This is the business’ fourth location in Tennessee, and the first in the East Tennessee region.

“We have three clubs in the Nashville market, and this location really is such a great fit for us,” said Keene. “We really looked at the families and the communities in the area.”

The business has plans to partner with local foodbank Second Harvest, she said.

Keene said there isn’t a set end date in sight, but construction will conclude “later this year.”