The date is set: Sarasota’s first Sprouts Farmers Market is slated to open at 7 a.m. April 12.
The 26,000-square-foot store will be the affordable, organic grocer’s second to open in Florida.
It’s been about nine months since I first spotted the Sprout’s “Coming Soon” tag on Manatee County-based Benderson Development Co.’s website. The Phoenix-based chain’s move to Pelican Plaza near the intersection of U.S. 41 and Beneva Road has been one of the most talked about retail openings planned for this year.
A quick search through my inbox shows the market’s name appears in more than 50 different emails to me.
That doesn’t count the number of calls I’ve taken or questions I’ve heard while I’m out in the community. Sarasota is excited about Sprouts.
I watched that blank wall between Total Wine & More and Petco at Pelican Plaza for months waiting for any sort of activity.
Nine months later, we have more than a sprout. We’ve got a whole storefront and a solid opening date.
Permits filed with Sarasota County in the middle of December indicate we can expect to see the “Sprouts Farmers Market” sign along with “Natural Foods” and “Farm Fresh Produce” signage arrive on the building soon. The inside of the building, as far as I can tell, is still pretty bare. Construction crews were working on Wednesday with the door just slightly ajar, and I caught a glimpse of the interior. We don’t have produce racks or grocery aisles yet, but I imagine with the opening just three months away, they can’t be far behind.
Sprouts already is starting to source one of the most important parts of its interior — its employees.
The company seemingly takes as much pride in its workers as it does in the products it sells. The grocery chain announced on Wednesday that it is starting the hiring process for roughly 100 employees. It is looking to fill a variety of positions, including department managers, assistant department managers, cashiers and courtesy clerks as well as clerks for produce, meat and seafood, vitamin and body care, grocery, deli, and bakery. Anyone interested can go to sprouts.com/careers or call 1-866-925-2396.
But even if you’re not interested in a job, there’s still plenty to look forward to while we wait for the doors to open.
Sprouts will open its first Florida location in the north Tampa Carrollwood area on Feb. 22. I’ve already got plans to take a trip to Hillsborough County so I can tour the store. Then I should be able to give you a better idea about why this grocer has the retail world talking and how it will stack up against a couple of other organic-focused, boutique grocers making moves in our market.
Lucky’s Market has plans to open in the empty Dillard’s box at Westfield Southgate by the end of the year. Earth Fare hasn’t made a formal announcement yet, but commercial building permits filed with Manatee County indicate the grocer is considering a site at new retail shopping center to the northeast of State Road 70 and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.
Sprouts, certainly, isn’t the only grocer popping up in our market, but I’m confident it’s the most anticipated.
Those emails and the general buzz I mentioned earlier clearly attest to it.
I imagine the line we will see outside the store on early April 12 will, too.