Sprouts Putting Down Roots in New Jersey, Plans Show

Sprouts Farmers Market's march up the East Coast now includes a planned stop in New Jersey, according to a developer working with the retailer.

Published plans for Brixmor Property Group’s Marlton Crossing Shopping Center in Marlton, N.J., show a 33,000-square-foot Sprouts store.

A report in the Courier-Post newspaper said the space formerly belonged to a Burlington department store, which is reducing the footprint of a neighboring store. Marlton is near Cherry Hill, N.J., a Philadelphia suburb. A Trader Joe's does business across the street.

Phoenix-based Sprouts has not yet announced any locations in New Jersey, although the company typically announces new locations quarterly. Sprouts has been expanding in the Mid-Atlantic region for the first time this year with two stores now open in Maryland and a flagship Philadelphia store debuting last month. Local reports projected a spring 2019 opening.

Sprouts is opening about 30 new stores a year in new and existing markets, and officials have been encouraged with productivity at its newest units.

At the grand opening of its first Pennsylvania store in Philadelphia, Chief Operations Officer Dan Sanders told WGB that Sprouts’ newest stores were reaching sales maturity faster than their predecessors.

“One tell-tale sign that things are going well is when you choose to make an investment like this you’re typically looking at a three- to five-year pro forma, and you’re anticipating by year three or four this store will behave like its peers in terms of volume,” Sanders said. “Our new store productivity is somewhere near 84%, meaning eight of 10 stores are realizing that level of volume in the first year as opposed to year three. So for investors and others watching our success, they have to be very encouraged with how the format is resonating across the country.”