Carson is getting its first Sprouts Farmers Market grocery store, the city announced this week, a step that officials say will provide residents better access to healthier food at reasonable prices.
The new grocery store will be at 619 E. University Drive, in north Carson off of Avalon Boulevard, near Dignity Health Sports Park. It will replace a former 99 Cents Only Store that shuttered last year.
Ground is expected to break at the end of this month. Sprouts and the city’s lease agreement was approved in late May, according to a statement from Carson.
“This is a monumental moment for Carson,” Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes said at a Thursday, June 5, announcement event at the project site. “The arrival of Sprouts Farmers Market is a significant step in providing our residents access to fresh, nutritious, affordable food options.”
Sprouts, with more than 400 locations across the nation, carries locally grown produce, plant-based foods, fresh bulk items, natural household products, affordable health and wellness goods, and more, a city press release said.
Community members also gathered outside of the closed 99 Cents Store on Thursday to celebrate the announcement of the upcoming grocery store.
Carson residents often have to travel outside of the 20-square-mile city they live in to find a fresher, greater variety of groceries, Davis-Holmes said in a Friday statement.
“Sprouts Farmers Market brings something new and much-needed to our community — greater access to fresh, natural and organic food options at an affordable price point,” the mayor said. “While we appreciate our existing grocery stores, Sprouts offers a unique product mix focused on healthy living, including plant-based foods, bulk grains and high-quality produce that many residents currently have to travel outside Carson to find.”
The store being located specifically in the city’s northern area is also important, Davis-Holmes added, where residential neighborhoods have historically lacked health-focused retail.
Other businesses in the plaza where Sprouts will be, for example, include a liquor store, a tobacco shop, and fast food restaurants like Domino’s Pizza, Hong Kong Express and Louisiana Fried Chicken.
Having a Sprouts in Carson is a step toward ensuring that access to nutritious food is not a luxury, but a standard, regardless of background or neighborhood, the city’s release said.
“This new store helps close that gap and brings nutritious choices closer to home for thousands of families,” Davis-Holmes said. “It’s a step forward in our commitment to public health, food equity and quality of life for all Carson residents.”
The mayor also said city officials worked tirelessly and persistently to bring the upcoming development to fruition through yearslong conversations about the right space for the store, reflecting the city’s unwavering commitment to strategic growth and health equity.
Carson will share updates on Sprouts’ construction progress and other new community developments in the coming months.