Northwest Broward residents one day won’t have to travel to Deerfield Beach or Oakland Park to shop at Sprouts Farmers Market.
The fast-growing specialty grocer — known for its wide selection of organic produce, fresh-cut meats, healthy hot entrees and packaged foods targeted to consumers on paleo, keto, plant-based and non-GMO diets — is planning to anchor a new commercial development in Coconut Creek.
The project, an extension of the existing Strada Plaza at the southwest corner of Coconut Creek Parkway and Lyons Road, is currently winding its way through the city’s development review process.
Strada CC Development, LLC is identified in the site plan as developer of the project. State corporate records identify the company’s managing members as Evan Mouhalis, managing partner of Delray Beach-based Mouhalis Capital Management, and Martin Pico, principal at MMG Equity Partners, based in Pinecrest.
Marcos Puente of MMG Equity Partners said land-use changes must be approved for the site. If all goes according to plan, the new Sprouts store could open by the fourth quarter of 2024, he said.
Sprouts has signed a lease, and the store will be built to its specifications, Puente said.
The partners pursued Sprouts for the project, he said. “We realized there was not one in Coconut Creek. We sold them on the breadth of the (northwest Broward) market.” Sprouts ran its own analysis and agreed that the location would work, drawing shoppers from Coral Springs, Parkland, Margate and western Pompano Beach, Puente said.
The development will also be home to a four-story, 118,000 square-foot self storage business, a 10,000 square-foot medical office and a drive-through fast-food restaurant called Cali Coffee, the site plan shows.
The existing Strada Plaza is home to a Regions Bank and three-story medical facility.
Established in 2002 in Chandler, Arizona, the Sprouts chain made its Broward County debut in a 27,000 square-foot space at 930 S. Federal Highway in Deerfield Beach in August 2019, about two months after opening its first Palm Beach County store at 820 State Road 7 in Wellington.
At that time, it was following similar chains into the Florida market that had decided to compete with market leaders Whole Foods and Fresh Market: Colorado-based Lucky’s Market, which opened 21 Florida stores over four years with financial backing from Kroger and the motto “Organic for the 99%,” and Earth Fare, which expanded to 50 stores nationwide and 14 in Florida.
Like those competitors, Sprouts touted its efforts to buy locally sourced organic products whenever possible. It also promotes its focus on the environment, with a commitment to “zero waste.” Food that can no longer be sold is donated to organizations that feed the poor, turned into cattle feed, or composted.
Lucky’s and Earth Fare companies declared bankruptcy in early 2020, while Sprouts — better established with more than 300 stores in 19 states — emerged as the winner. (Earth Fare has recently reopened with 22 stores, mostly in the South. Two are in western and northern Florida)
Today, the publicly traded company operates more than 370 stores in 23 states, including 35 in Florida. Other South Florida locations are Jupiter, West Palm Beach, Miramar, Boynton Beach, Oakland Park, Dania Beach and Homestead.
Since opening its Wellington store, Sprouts has refined its marketing strategy. It has reduced the size of its new stores and repositioned its meat and seafood counters closer to the front doors.
It also shifted away from a strategy of getting people in the stores with deep discounts. Its former slogan, Healthy Living for Less, has been replaced with, Sprouts: Where Goodness Grows.
Consistently profitable, Sprouts planned to open another 15 to 17 stores this year, and at least 30 in 2023, according to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal.
Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at .
