The rumor of the year (for some that are grocery obsessed) was whether or not Trader Joe’s, with all its hype and buzz, would open in Utah County.

All communities, involved or uninvolved, are neither denying nor affirming a Trader Joe’s move to their city.

“We do not have any information to either confirm or deny that Trader Joe’s is considering Lehi as a potential location,” Lehi spokesman Cameron Boyle said.

Usually when a large business moves to a city, municipal officials must sign a nondisclosure document (an agreement), meaning if they say anything they will have broken contract with the company and the business representatives may cancel any plans, take the city to court, or choose to ignore the “rumor.”

Orem’s city leaders did not respond to email or calls. Provo’s mayor was also unable to shed light on the status of the retail center by the end of 2015.

“We are not willing to discuss this at the present time,” Mayor John Curtis said.

Both Provo and Orem have used social marketing techniques to draw attention to the fact that Trader Joe’s patrons want the grocery store chain to open in their community.

Orem reminded its residents the city has been campaigning for a Trader Joe’s for nearly a year.

While Orem was campaigning for a Trader Joe’s within its city limits, Provo Mayor John Curtis put out a call to arms on his popular blog. Provo had its citizens engaged in a full-court press campaign to flood the retailer with videos, emails and all other communications. He asked residents to pile on the letters and he would personally hand deliver them to the chain’s headquarters in Monrovia, Calif.

No amount of cajoling has helped and perhaps because there has yet to be a result, some believe the rumor extrapolated into “Trader Joe’s was moving to Lehi instead.”

And the city of Lehi stands mum on the matter.

“We feel it is important to maintain a level of professionalism and trust with current and future businesses and organizations. Economic development discussions require a level of confidentiality and we don’t want to appear to violate that trust,” Boyle said.

Trader Joe’s headquarters itself would not comment on the Utah County location issue, but only responded to the Daily Herald to affirm its nationwide onsite photography policy after a request.

Not a conventional grocer, Trader Joe’s is a privately held business with more than 450 stores, half of those are in California with others in 40 states and also Washington, D.C.

A chain grocery store usually displays 40,000 to 50,000 products for sale. Trader Joe’s is a specialty grocer and carries approximately 4,000 items. The majority, 80 percent, are Trader Joe’s brands.

Gourmet, organic, vegetarian, unusual frozen and imported foods are a constant at Trader Joe’s, as well as a well-stocked domestic fine wine and imported beer area. A customer can find alternative food items on the shelves and staples such as bread, milk and eggs.

“You’ll find unconventional and interesting products in the Trader Joe’s label as well as everyday basics. We buy products we think are winners and that’ll find a following among our customers,” reads the website at traderjoes.com.

Founder: Joe Coulombe

It was founded as convenience store in 1958 

It has more than 450 stores nationwide

In 2014, its revenue was $9.38 billion 

10,000-plus employees

Website: www.traderjoes.com