Sprouts Farmers Market is opening 2 new stores Friday

Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market is opening two new stores Friday, one in Tucson, Arizona, and the other in Palmdale, California.

Sprouts operates about 380 stores in 23 states.

In Tucson and Palmdale, the openings will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting, and customers can receive 20% off their purchases throughout opening weekend, the company said.

In Tucson, the new Sprouts store will sell local produce from Martori Farms, Pacific Organic, Pinto Creek Ranches and more. In Palmdale, produce suppliers include Muranaka Farms, ECO Farms and more.

Sprouts places blue tags on products that are locally grown.

In both cities, the grocer will donate unsold food to community organizations through the Sprouts’ Food Rescue program.

“We are so excited to see this day arrive,” Palmdale Mayor Steve Hofbauer said in a statement. “The City Council and staff have worked hard to reach this day and celebrate not just a great business going into this location, but a business with a strong sense of community at its heart.”

Earlier this month, Sprouts opened a new store in Cape Coral, Florida.

In August, Sprouts reported a strong second quarter, with a 5% increase in net sales over the previous year, growing to $1.6 billion. The grocer’s same-store sales increased 2% during the quarter.

Sprouts has previously said it plans to open up to 17 new grocery stores this year, fewer than the retailer would have liked.

“We’ve had some fairly significant supply chain challenges on little pieces of things that go towards air conditioning, little pieces of things that go towards refrigeration,” CEO Jack Sinclair told analysts at the time. “And the other thing that’s kind of slowed us down in 2022 was the planning and getting the licenses from the various authorities who didn’t have people in the office monitoring it and planning it through.”