Julie sends along this announcement…

Edgewood Avenue, Atlanta GA (pic submitted by Caitie)

I don’t mean to start another Trader Joe’s style beg-fest thread, but according to a DM reader, Sprouts Farmer’s Market out of California may soon “take Atlanta by storm”.  An article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle last October documented Sprouts move east and recent scouting around Atlanta…

Arizona-based Sprouts Farmers Markets LLC is scouting sites in the area, according to people familiar with the company’s expansion efforts.

The grocer recently was named No. 1 on a list of 100 “hot” retailers (ranked by sales growth) from Stores Media, the publishing arm of the National Retail Federation.

It seems like every larger scale mixed use development in Decatur starts out by talking about adding a “grocery store”, but the next question is always “Which one?”  Publix and Kroger are already rather prevalent in the area and Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have made it clear that the area doesn’t work for them.  Perhaps Sprouts could be the answer.  Or perhaps not…

The chain is focused on entering upper income areas. Cities along Georgia 400, such as Sandy Springs, Alpharetta or Roswell, and along the Peachtree Industrial Boulevard corridor, including Chamblee, Johns Creek or Duluth, could be targeted, insiders say. The target demographic is people ages 25 and older, especially the Gen Y consumer.

I guess we’ll see!