<p> Sprouts Farmers Market is bringing its line of fresh, organic produce to the Southeast this year with plans for expansion in the area over the next several years.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Sprouts anticipates opening 15 stores in the region within the next three years, possibly adding a distribution growth in Georgia and nearby states such as North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida, according to Atlanta Business Chronicle. Four stores are expected to open in metro Atlanta this summer.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Sprouts is also expanding in current states, with one store under construction in Snellville, Georgia, and three more stores planned in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to Las Vegas Weekly.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> “As with any new Sprouts store, these new Las Vegas area locations were selected based on extensive strategic research into the area,” said Ted Frumkin, Senior Vice President of Business Development.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Known as one of the fastest growing retailers in the U.S., Sprouts currently operates more than 170 stores throughout nine states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Kansas. The company’s foray into metro Atlanta acts as the stepping stone for its greater expansion into the new, critical region, Atlanta Business Chronicle reports.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Sprouts has seen incredible success lately, finally crossing the $2 billion in sales milestone. Last month, the company reported fourth quarter net sales of $608.2 million, a 27% increase from the same period in 2012. Sales were driven by improved same-store sales and strong performance in 19 newly opened stores in 2013.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Can the retailer keep up its streak with this new region? </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://investors.sprouts.com/index.cfm" target="_new"> Sprouts Farmers Market </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
