Strategic initiatives on track at SproutsStrategic initiatives on track at Sprouts

As competitors in natural food and supplement retail reported mixed quarterly financial results this week, Sprouts Farmers Market delivered fairly healthy growth in its first quarter ending April 3.

CEO Amin Maredia provided several updates on the retailer’s primary initiatives outlined earlier this year. Notably, two dozen stores have expanded their deli offerings with prepared salads, customer-facing sandwich stations, foodservice cases, fresh juices and specialty coffees, and 30 more stores are slated to implement those offerings throughout the rest of the year.

Also, like competitor Whole Foods, Sprouts recently launched digital coupons through its mobile app—an effort to deepen its relationship with customers. It’s also expanded its partnership with Amazon Prime Now, offering home delivery through five stores in three markets.

Private label products continued to outpace overall company growth, accounting for nearly 10 percent of sales this quarter. Sprouts is on track to have more than 200 private label products by the end of the year, Maredia said.