Sprouts Farmers Market to open new stores in Virginia, Florida

Sprouts Farmers Market, which recently announced plans to close 11 unprofitable grocery stores, has a couple of grand openings on its agenda as it looks to open about 30 locations this year.

On Friday, Sprouts is scheduled to debut a new store in Manassas, Virginia, becoming the grocer’s second location in the state.

The store, like all Sprouts locations, will work with local farmers, including Gotham Greens and Jim Rash Watermelons, to source produce. The Manassas Sprouts store will also donate food that is edible but no longer fit for sale to the Capital Area Food Bank.

“I am thrilled for our Prince William County neighbors to gain Sprouts as a community resource to fight food insecurity and offer those with special dietary needs local and healthy food options,” Manassas Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger said in a statement. “Sprouts’ Healthy Communities Foundation and their partnerships with local food banks offer vital regional support to providing nutrition education and food access to underserved areas.”

The grand opening will be celebrated with a weekend of events, including games, face painting and seasonal produce tasting. The first 200 shoppers on Friday and Saturday will receive a reusable tote bag filled with products and samples, the grocer said.

In Florida, Sprouts is looking to hire 80 full- and part-time employees for its upcoming Fort Myers store, scheduled to open on July 21. The grocer said it will host a virtual management hiring event on May 24 and an in-person associate hiring event on June 7.

The grocer is seeking department managers, assistant department managers, clerks, cashiers and courtesy clerks, as well as a backup receiver, administrative coordinator and scan coordinator.

Earlier this month, Phoenix-based Sprouts reported same-store sales growth of 3.1% for the quarter ended April 2, with net sales of $1.7 billion—up 6% from a year ago. Sprouts opened eight new stores during the quarter and acquired two previously licensed locations, for a total of 395 grocery stores.