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Sprouts Farmers Market opens produce distribution center in Colorado

Seventh facility slated to go into operation in Florida later this year

Russell Redman

March 22, 2021

3 Min Read
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Sprouts has tapped Penske Logistics to provide third-party logistics services to the Aurora facility and transportation fleet.Sprouts Farmers Market

Sprouts Farmers Market has launched a new produce distribution center in Aurora, Colo., and plans another in Florida later this year to help support its retail expansion, which includes opening about 20 new stores in 2021.

Phoenix, Ariz.-based Sprouts said Monday that 135,000 square-foot Aurora facility houses 55°F and 34°F storage and fruit ripening rooms for its broad range of fresh, seasonal and specialty produce, such as organic cotton candy grapes, lychee and starfruit.

The Aurora DC — Sprouts’ first center in Colorado and sixth nationwide — serves 45 stores, including all of the retailer’s locations in Colorado plus five stores in Utah and eight in New Mexico.

The fresh, natural and organic specialty grocer noted that its network of DCs, direct grower relationships and enhanced quality controls enable it to provide “great value” for fresh, high-quality produce.

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The new distribution center in Aurora is Sprouts’ first in Colorado and its sixth nationwide.

“As we grow our footprint, we will strategically place new stores and distribution centers closer together to maximize our owned fresh product network. This will better serve our customers who are looking to Sprouts for the best quality and value in fresh and organic produce,” Chief Fresh Merchandising Officer Scott Neal said in a statement. “The location of our Aurora facility, combined with features such as ripening rooms for bananas and avocados, two of our top-selling produce items, will immediately provide our stores with an expanded selection of affordable organics.”

Related:Sprouts Farmers Market to open 20 new stores in 2021

The Aurora hub also will enable Sprouts to distribute local produce and floral to its Colorado stores, expanding those locations’ local and organic produce assortment and and providing a new local herb and mushroom selection that caters to the chain’s health-conscious customers.

“With a distribution center in Colorado, our truck routes are shorter and allow us to cross fewer state borders, enabling us to partner with our local and regional farmers with more synergy,” according to Joe Hurley, senior vice president of supply chain. “We’re looking forward to engaging with our community of local vendors further to better serve our neighbors and customers.”

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With the new DC, Sprouts will be able to provide a breadth of fresh and organic produce as well as more locally grown items to its stores in Colorado.

Sprouts said it has enlisted Penske Logistics as its third-party logistics partner for the Aurora facility and transportation fleet, which added 70 full-time jobs in the market. Last year, Sprouts announced plans to foster efficiencies at its fresh DCs by locating them within 250 miles of the stores they supply.

Besides in Aurora, Sprouts operates DCs in Colton and Union City, Calif.; Glendale, Ariz.; Wilmer, Texas; and Atlanta. Plans call for a seventh DC to open in Florida this summer to expand local produce offerings and guarantee freshness across stores in the state.

Related:Sprouts Farmers Markets sees sales growth of 15% in fiscal 2020

Currently, Sprouts has more than 360 stores in 23 states. Earlier this month, the company unveiled plans to open approximately 20 new stores this year, including four with a new, smaller format. Ten of the new locations will be in Florida, where Sprouts now operates 23 stores. Stores in Dania Beach, Fla.; Grand Prairie, Texas; Phoenix (a relocation); and Smyrna, Ga., will feature the new format, which averages 25,000 square feet. Overall, the plan calls for 10 new stores in Florida; two apiece in Arizona, California, Georgia and Texas; and one each in Colorado and Nevada.

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About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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