Trader Joe’s, a grocery chain that prides itself on offering gourmet foods at reasonable prices, will not locate in Bend in the immediate future, a spokeswoman with the company said Tuesday.

Pat St. John with Trader Joe’s said while Bend had been under consideration as a new location for a store, the company has chosen to direct its focus in other areas.

”We have looked at Bend … but it is definitely not going to be one of our priorities, at least not for the next couple of years.”

St. John said when deciding whether to locate in a certain area, the company looks at a variety of factors, including size of the city, real estate prices and distribution patterns.

St. John would not elaborate on why the company is not focusing its efforts on Bend.

The company currently has six stores in Oregon, three in Portland and one each in Lake Oswego, Beaverton and Eugene.

”We never say never, but that is not on the plan for now, although we will keep it in the back of our mind,” St. John said.