Sprouts Farmers Market hits the new year running with a series of store openings

Sprouts Farmers Market is not wasting any time with its expansion goal.

The grocer’s five-year plan is to increase its network by 10% year over year, and three stores are set to open in January alone, including locations in Miami-Coconut Grove, Fla., and Burtonsville, Md., on Jan. 19.

There will be a weekend of activities for the grand opening of the Miami-Coconut Grove store. A “pop-up party” at the front of the store will allow shoppers to sample seasonal produce from the tasting bar, participate in a “guess the weight” contest featuring an oversized piece of fruit, and more.

The first 100 shoppers on Jan. 19 and Jan. 20 will receive a free “Goodness it’s Free” reusable bag filled with product samples, and there will be other giveaways during the three-day event.

A $500 gift card will be raffled off for those who register on the Sprouts website by midnight on Jan. 21, and shoppers who text “COCO” to 777-688 will receive 20% off their purchase when they scan their app account barcode at checkout.

Sprouts will also open a location in Port Charlotte, Fla., on Jan. 12.

In addition, the grocer is looking to hire 100 employees for the opening of a store in Cudahy, Calif., on Feb. 16, and three more locations (Bakersfield, Calif.; Victorville, Calif.; and Rockwall, Texas) will break the seal in the month of March.

Related:Sprouts Farmers Market has plans for another Nashville store

For the year, Sprouts anticipates adding a total of 34 stores to its network.