Sprouts posts $2.3B Q1 sales

Published May 1, 2026 by The Daily Scout

- Sprouts Farmers Market reported first-quarter 2026 results on April 29, with net sales up to $2.33 billion even as same-store sales fell 1.7%. - The telling detail is guidance: Sprouts raised full-year EPS to $5.32-$5.48, opened six stores, and still expects 40-plus new locations in 2026. - That matters because Sprouts is still expanding profitably, but cautious shoppers are forcing growth to come from stores, mix, and execution.

Why it matters

Grocery earnings can look boring — until they tell you what shoppers are actually doing. Sprouts just posted first-quarter 2026 sales of $2.33 billion, up 4% from a year earlier, but the more revealing number was a 1.7% drop in comparable-store sales. Basically, the chain sold more because it has more stores, not because existing stores got busier. Even so, Sprouts raised its full-year earnings outlook, which tells you management thinks this softer patch is manageable, not a breakdown. (investors.sprouts.com) ### What did Sprouts actually report? For the 13 weeks ended March 29, 2026, Sprouts said diluted EPS was $1.71, down from $1.81 a year ago. The company opened six new stores in the quarter and ended March with 483 stores across 25 states. It also generated $235 million in operating cash flow, spent $98 million on capital expenditures, and repurchased 1.9 million shares for about $140 million. (investors.sprouts.com) ### Why were sales up if comps were down? New stores did the heavy lifting. That is the cleanest way to read the quarter. Sprouts is still opening locations at a fast clip, so total revenue can rise even when existing stores are a bit softer. Management also pointed to a cautious consumer backdrop and tough comparisons with early 2025, when results were(investors.sprouts.com)— it just ran into a harder comparison base. (investors.sprouts.com) ### Why did investors still like it? Because the quarter landed roughly where Sprouts had guided, and the company nudged full-year EPS guidance higher. Back in February, Sprouts guided to 2026 diluted EPS of $5.28 to $5.44. After this report, that moved up to $5.32 to $5.48. For a retailer dealing with negative comps, that is the key signal — margins and execution look solid enough to offset slower traffic. (investors.sprouts.com) ### What is Sprouts doing to protect growth? The company is leaning into things that make Sprouts feel different from a standard supermarket. Management highlighted customer engagement, “foraging and discovery,” and supply-chain work. In plainer English, Sprouts wants shoppers comin(investors.sprouts.com)loyalty data and more targeted value on essential items instead of broad discounting. (investors.sprouts.com) ### Is private label part of the story? Yes — and it matters more in a cautious spending environment. Sprouts said its own brand is growing faster than the overall business and now makes up 26% of sales. That is useful because store brands can do two jobs at once: give shoppers a cheaper option and give the retailer better economics. When customers are selective, that mix shift can help stabilize margins. (finance.yahoo.com) ### What about e-commerce and expansion? E-commerce grew 10% and reached 16% of sales, which matters because Sprouts sees digital as a customer-acquisition tool for higher-value omnichannel shoppers. Expansion is still the bigger engine, though. Sprouts expects 40-plus new stores in 2026, has nearly 150 approved stores in the pipeline(finance.yahoo.com)ke Long Island. (investors.sprouts.com) ### What is the catch? The second quarter could still look soft. Sprouts guided comp sales to a range of down 2% to flat, and management flagged margin pressure from fixed-cost deleverage, loyalty investments, and higher fuel costs. So this is not a clean acceleration story yet. It is more like a retailer trying to grow through a consumer slowdown without panicking on price. (investors.sprouts.com) ### Bottom line? Sprouts showed that a specialty grocer can keep expanding even when shoppers get choosy. But the quarter also made the tradeoff clear — right now, growth is coming more from new stores, private label, and tighter execution than from broad-based demand. (investors.sprouts.com)

Key numbers

Sprouts Farmers Market reported first-quarter 2026 results on April 29, with net sales up to $2.33 billion even as same-store sales fell 1.7%.
The telling detail is guidance: Sprouts raised full-year EPS to $5.32-$5.48, opened six stores, and still expects 40-plus new locations in 2026.
Sprouts just posted first-quarter 2026 sales of $2.33 billion, up 4% from a year earlier, but the more revealing number was a 1.7% drop in comparable-store sales.
For the 13 weeks ended March 29, 2026, Sprouts said diluted EPS was $1.71, down from $1.81 a year ago.

What happens next

Sprouts expects 40-plus new stores in 2026, has nearly 150 approved stores in the pipeline(finance.yahoo.com)ke Long Island.
The second quarter could still look soft.
The telling detail is guidance: Sprouts raised full-year EPS to $5.32-$5.48, opened six stores, and still expects 40-plus new locations in 2026.

Sources

Quick answers

What happened in Sprouts posts $2.3B Q1 sales?

Sprouts Farmers Market reported first-quarter 2026 results on April 29, with net sales up to $2.33 billion even as same-store sales fell 1.7%. The telling detail is guidance: Sprouts raised full-year EPS to $5.32-$5.48, opened six stores, and still expects 40-plus new locations in 2026. That matters because Sprouts is still expanding profitably, but cautious shoppers are forcing growth to come from stores, mix, and execution.

Why does Sprouts posts $2.3B Q1 sales matter?

Grocery earnings can look boring — until they tell you what shoppers are actually doing. Sprouts just posted first-quarter 2026 sales of $2.33 billion, up 4% from a year earlier, but the more revealing number was a 1.7% drop in comparable-store sales. Basically, the chain sold more because it has more stores, not because existing stores got busier. Even so, Sprouts raised its full-year earnings outlook, which tells you management thinks this softer patch is manageable, not a breakdown. (investors.sprouts.com) What did Sprouts actually report? For the 13 weeks ended March 29, 2026, Sprouts said diluted EPS was $1.71, down from $1.81 a year ago. The company opened six new stores in the quarter and ended March with 483 stores across 25 states. It also generated $235 million in operating cash flow, spent $98 million on capital expenditures, and repurchased 1.9 million shares for about $140 million. (investors.sprouts.com) Why were sales up if comps were down? New stores did the heavy lifting. That is the cleanest way to read the quarter. Sprouts is still opening locations at a fast clip, so total revenue can rise even when existing stores are a bit softer. Management also pointed to a cautious consumer backdrop and tough comparisons with early 2025, when results were(investors.sprouts.com)— it just ran into a harder comparison base. (investors.sprouts.com) Why did investors still like it? Because the quarter landed roughly where Sprouts had guided, and the company nudged full-year EPS guidance higher. Back in February, Sprouts guided to 2026 diluted EPS of $5.28 to $5.44. After this report, that moved up to $5.32 to $5.48. For a retailer dealing with negative comps, that is the key signal — margins and execution look solid enough to offset slower traffic. (investors.sprouts.com) What is Sprouts doing to protect growth? The company is leaning into things that make Sprouts feel different from a standard supermarket. Management highlighted customer engagement, “foraging and discovery,” and supply-chain work. In plainer English, Sprouts wants shoppers comin(investors.sprouts.com)loyalty data and more targeted value on essential items instead of broad discounting. (investors.sprouts.com) Is private label part of the story? Yes — and it matters more in a cautious spending environment. Sprouts said its own brand is growing faster than the overall business and now makes up 26% of sales. That is useful because store brands can do two jobs at once: give shoppers a cheaper option and give the retailer better economics. When customers are selective, that mix shift can help stabilize margins. (finance.yahoo.com) What about e-commerce and expansion? E-commerce grew 10% and reached 16% of sales, which matters because Sprouts sees digital as a customer-acquisition tool for higher-value omnichannel shoppers. Expansion is still the bigger engine, though. Sprouts expects 40-plus new stores in 2026, has nearly 150 approved stores in the pipeline(finance.yahoo.com)ke Long Island. (investors.sprouts.com) What is the catch? The second quarter could still look soft. Sprouts guided comp sales to a range of down 2% to flat, and management flagged margin pressure from fixed-cost deleverage, loyalty investments, and higher fuel costs. So this is not a clean acceleration story yet. It is more like a retailer trying to grow through a consumer slowdown without panicking on price. (investors.sprouts.com) Bottom line? Sprouts showed that a specialty grocer can keep expanding even when shoppers get choosy. But the quarter also made the tradeoff clear — right now, growth is coming more from new stores, private label, and tighter execution than from broad-based demand. (investors.sprouts.com)