Newest Las Vegas Sprouts store opens in June

Sprouts officials say their sixth Las Vegas Valley store will reopen at the end of June.

Sprouts acquired the former Haggen grocery store at 7350 W. Lake Mead Blvd. late last year as part of Haggen's bankruptcy proceedings and disposition of stores in Nevada and other states.

Demolition work has already started at the 37,000-square-foot store and construction and retrofitting is scheduled to start by the end of February, said Sprouts spokesman Diego Romero.

The Arizona-based chain said it will start hiring about 100 full- and part-time employees for the store by the end of March.

The latest version of a Sprouts will feature some updates seen in its news stores across the country. Sprouts features a deli area, olive bar, juice bar and sushi bar, but the Lake Mead store will include a salad bar and coffee bar, Romero said.

The salad bar is a freestanding island with several scoopable salads with a cost per pound, Romero said. There will be a range of salads from romaine and lettuce to chicken and tofu, he said.

The coffee bar with organic brew serves people who want to eat lunch at the store, Romero said.

"It's an initiative for 2016 to make this a destination for that noon and 5 p.m. shopper," Romero said.

Romero said the salad bar fits in with the ever-expanding deli that offers lunchtime foods, including a sandwich bar with sandwiches costing $4.99.

"We're looking to offer healthy affordable meals that are not only better for you but fresh," Romero said. "It's using a grocery store as a food destination beyond shopping to prepare dinner throughout the week. It's a place to grab and eat meals on the go."

Sprouts entered the Las Vegas market in 2012 when it merged with Sunflower Farmers Market that operated two stores in the valley. Sprouts has since opened three other locations.

The existing store under construction was previously owned by Vons, which sold it to Haggen last year. The nearest Sprouts is at 10000 W. Sahara Ave.

Grocery store analysts said the new Sprouts is a good fit for the valley because it covers the northwest valley for the first time. The other stores are located at 3365 E. Tropicana Ave., 4020 S. Rainbow Blvd., 635 S. Green Valley Parkway in Henderson, and 515 N. Stephanie St. in Henderson.

Romero said Sprouts has done well in Las Vegas and that there's a high demand for healthy foods at competitive prices. He said adding stores can't be ruled out.

"We're interested in Nevada and the Las Vegas market and the stores do well, and we believe there's room for growth," Romero said. "We're always looking for the best locations whether that's an existing location or an opportunity to build new."

In January 2015, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Albertsons and Safeway had agreed to sell 146 stores in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington to Haggen as part of a $300 million deal to win U.S. antitrust approval for a merger.

The Sprouts store on Lake Mead Boulevard was among seven closed by Haggen, which opened all of its stores in June. Weeks later, Haggen filed for bankruptcy protection.

Romero said people interested in applying for a job should go to www.sprouts.com/career.