Sprouts and Natural Grocers are set to dominate in foot traffic in the grocery sector for increased visits.
Both organic supermarket chains are projected to experience rapid growth in the number of shoppers, according to recent data published by retail traffic firm Placer.ai. In Q1 of 2025, Sprouts Farmers Markets visits rose by 11.9%, while visits to Natural Grocers went up by 5.9%.
Bracha Arnold, Placer.ai’s content writer, wrote: “The chains drew higher-than-average shares of both young professionals and a variety of affluent family segments, though Sprouts was more popular among wealthy families, while Natural Grocers attracted http://Placer.aimore upper-middle-class suburban families.
“In a grocery market defined by trading down and intensified competition from low-cost outlets such as dollar stores and superstores, speciality chains like Sprouts and Natural Grocers may benefit from their ability to attract health-focused, higher-income shoppers and busy professionals.”
There was an increase in demand for natural and healthy products, with a rise of 0.8% in visits at the start of the year.
Additionally, the main market for the two supermarkets was shoppers with a median household income of $96.8k for Sprouts Farmers Market, while Natural Grocers shoppers had an average household median of $84.0k.
In particular, Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Markets are successful, with 33 new stores that opened last year. In Q1 of 2025, the number of visits rose by 4.2% year-over-year.
Natural Grocers currently operates around 160 stores in the US, while Sprouts Farmers Market operates around 450 stores in the US.
Meanwhile, retail sales in the US are expected to grow by between 2.7% and 3.7% in 2025, according to a report by the National Retail Federation.
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