Gone are the days of a grocery store in every neighborhood with a range of options from the mom and pop to the local outposts of A&P, Harris Teeter, Colonial, Food Lion or Winn-Dixie. Grocery shopping in metro Atlanta now centers around a few big names.
Retailers have taken note, and Sprouts Farmers Market, a green grocer that is one of the country's fastest-growing chains, will soon be giving metro Atlanta shoppers another place to spend their dollars.
This Phoenix-based chain has 170 stores in nine Western and Midwestern states including Arizona, California, Kansas, New Mexico and Utah. In a few months, Georgia will join the list.
A Snellville location will be in business this summer with stores in Dunwoody, Peachtree Corners/Norcross and Johns Creek opening soon after.
“Atlanta will be our first foray into the East Coast,” said Donna Egan, a spokeswoman for Sprouts Farmers Market, citing similarities in Atlanta’s demographics with those of Sprouts shoppers elsewhere — well-educated, lots of families and above-average consumer spending.
Sprouts stores are laid out around the produce section, a prominent feature in the center of each store. Each location also offers bulk selections of grains, nuts, coffee and candy, wide aisles with low shelving offering sightlines across the entire store, deli, meat and seafood counters, a bakery, specialty beer and wines and thousands of vitamins and supplements. Sprouts shoppers from other parts of the country have been happy with the chain, and local shoppers are looking forward to the openings.
Phil Fortson of Snellville lives just 2 miles from what will be the company’s first metro Atlanta location. He believes it will be a great thing for the neighborhood with few options for natural foods.
Sprouts bills itself as a national “neighborhood” grocer promising “healthy living for less” with an emphasis on produce, both conventional and organic.
Arlington, Mass., resident Diane Hebert-Farrell shopped at Sprouts on her recent vacation in Phoenix. She said: “The store was right across the street from where we were staying and we went there for snacks. I liked the open concept where you can see all the way across the store.”
Scott Hilton, president of the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association, looks forward to giving Sprouts a try. With three young children, he and his wife are always looking for healthy, organic options.
“It will be great if they come in with something that appeals to our family budget,” he said.
Shanna Koenigsdorf Ward of Albuquerque, N.M., finds the stores to be very budget-friendly. “Families who consume a lot of fruits and vegetables can easily afford to shop there. The non-organic produce is extremely cheap — unbelievably so,” she said.
Nancy Southgate of Phoenix stocks up at her local Sprouts about once a month. “They have great prices on bulk items, and that’s where we get our oatmeal, dried cranberries, raisins, etc.”
When current Los Angeles resident Barbara Woltag lived in Santa Fe, N.M., she frequently shopped at Sprouts.
“They have a lot of sales, and their sale prices were especially good on things like wine and beer. Every quarter, they’d have a big sale of 20 or 25 percent off all the vitamins and supplements,” she said.
Jen Hyde of Salt Lake City shops at Sprouts for some very specific items — snacks, frozen Indian food and a particular brand of the fermented tea kombucha.“The kombucha is cheaper there than at Whole Foods. I think of Sprouts as the ‘mom and pop’ Whole Foods. It’s a chain, but you get more of an independent grocer feel.”
Sandy Springs resident Jan Beaves plans to give Sprouts Farmers Market a try. Whether she’ll continue shopping at Sprouts will depend.
“Healthy living appeals to me, but I’m only going to pay so much for it. Quality and price will decide if I keep going back,” she said.
