Natural Grocers opens at Glenstone Marketplace

Provided by Natural Grocers

The chain carries organic produce.

Lakewood, Colorado-based Natural Grocers (NYSE: NGVC) today opened its first Springfield store.

The 3333 S. Glenstone Ave. grocery store at southeast Springfield development Glenstone Marketplace met its timeline to open by early October in 14,000 square feet.

The Springfield store is Natural Grocers' seventh in Missouri, according to a news release.

Natural Grocers markets itself as a "healthy and delicious" option in the grocery retail space, with "strict product standards [that] prohibit hydrogenated oils and artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives in the groceries it carries." Company officials say the chain's wares include organic produce, free-range eggs and pasture-based dairy.

Natural Grocers is the second grocery tenant in the space at Glenstone Marketplace. Lucky’s Market in early 2018 became the first natural food grocer to operate in Glenstone Marketplace, a $10 million, 100,000-square-foot shopping center with tenants HomeGoods, Designer Shoe Warehouse and Petco. Lucky’s closure early last year coincided with a bankruptcy filing by the company.

At its new Springfield store, Natural Grocers is hosting a grand opening event that includes a prize contest, deals and discounts, according to the release.

The retailer trades publicly as Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc. under the NGVC ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange. For its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, Natural Grocers reported a 2.4% decrease in net sales to $258.6 million and 7.3% increase in net income to $5 million, according to a separate news release.

The company had 161 stores in 20 states as of June 30.