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“The best to me is our relationship with customers,” he continues, asking a mother if she would like a banana for her child. The mother happily accepts, as Williams is summoned to help another produce employee. His parting words: “There’s nothing better than sustaining your personal well-being and the well-being of others, and the life of our planet.”
Sprouts may epitomize the expres- sion “being in the right place at the right time” on its journey, to capitalize on heightened awareness around CSR, sustainability and healthy-eating/lifestyle
trends. These touchpoints have become increasingly relevant to a much broader and diverse customer base and are influ- encing purchasing decisions. Retailers and suppliers jockey to preserve and attract the demanding, and often fleeting, loyalties of customers as well as employees. Sprouts spawns a culture enveloped in purpose and passion, which can appeal to both.
“Ninety percent of the store’s 17,000- plus products is organic or natural, and the other 10 percent really caters to our more conventional shopper that’s just learning to eat better,” says Romero.
“We’re constantly looking to strike the
right balance between quality and value,” adds Romero. “That’s a guiding philosophy for Sprouts. We’ve always been at the intersection of quality and value.”
Using eggs as an example, Sprouts offers a conventional egg, but also a free-range antibiotic-free variety, Romero explains, educating an inquisitive customer while correcting her misconception that a brown egg is healthier than a white one. “We know we have a broad customer base. Similarly, we have organic apples and also regular varieties...”
“On any given day, we’ll have hundreds
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10-SPROUTS / MAY 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS