Sprouts Farmers Market sets opening date for new North Park store replacing beloved Pancho Villa market. After nearly two years of anticipation, San Diego's newest Sprouts Farmers Market finally has an opening date. The specialty grocer has announced it will officially debut its long-awaited North Park location on October 2, transforming the former Pancho Villa Farmers Market into one of the company's largest neighborhood stores. The new Sprouts will occupy the approximately 22,700-square-foot building at 3245 El Cajon Boulevard, a site that for more than two decades served as home to Pancho Villa Farmers Market, one of San Diego's most beloved Latino supermarkets. The opening represents the final chapter in a transition that has reshaped one of North Park and Normal Heights' most recognizable grocery properties. Pancho Villa, founded in 2004 by the late Stephen W. Boney, closed permanently in early 2025 following Boney's death at age 81. For years, the market served as the area's only dedicated Latino supermarket, earning a loyal following for its fresh tortillas, expansive carnicería, prepared foods, produce, aguas frescas and hard-to-find Mexican grocery items. Ironically, the property's next tenant also traces its roots back to the Boney family. Stephen Boney came from one of San Diego's best-known grocery dynasties. His father, Henry Boney, founded Henry's Farmers Market, while Stephen's brother Stan Boney later co-founded Sprouts Farmers Market in Arizona in 2002. Stephen chose a different path, creating Pancho Villa to serve San Diego's growing Hispanic community years before Latino-focused supermarkets became commonplace throughout the region. The arrival of Sprouts at the former Pancho Villa building therefore brings the Boney family's grocery legacy full circle, although the transition has prompted mixed emotions among longtime customers who viewed Pancho Villa as more than simply a grocery store. Following Pancho Villa's closure, several parts of its legacy found new homes elsewhere in San Diego. Windmill Farms Community Market acquired the store's famous tortilla-making equipment and original recipes, along with several longtime tortilla makers, allowing the iconic flour tortillas to continue production. Meanwhile, North Park Produce hired some former Pancho Villa employees and introduced a "Super Mercado" section inspired by the neighborhood favorite. Now the building itself is beginning a new era. Sprouts spokesperson Mychael Ramirez confirmed the new location will employ between 80 and 100 full- and part-time team members, with hiring expected to begin soon. "Sprouts Farmers Market is excited for our new store in San Diego as we bring our wide assortment of fresh, local and better-for-you products to the community," Ramirez said. Earlier this year, San Diego's Hearing Officer approved a Conditional Use Permit allowing the store to sell beer and wine, adding to Sprouts' signature mix of organic produce, natural foods, specialty grocery items, vitamins, bulk products and prepared meals. The North Park opening is part of Sprouts' continued national expansion. Headquartered in Phoenix, the company now operates more than 480 stores across 25 states and plans to open more than 40 additional locations during 2026, including several throughout California. The El Cajon Boulevard store joins existing San Diego-area Sprouts locations in Pacific Beach, La Mesa, Chula Vista and elsewhere, though it will become the company's newest flagship location serving North Park, Normal Heights, City Heights and surrounding neighborhoods. While many residents remain nostalgic for Pancho Villa and the cultural role it played in the community, October 2 will mark the beginning of a new chapter for one of San Diego's most prominent grocery properties. Sprouts Farmers Market is scheduled to open on October 2 at 3245 El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego's North Park/Normal Heights neighborhood. Originally published on August 5, 2026.

Sprouts Farmers Market reported second-quarter results in line with expectations, with total sales rising 5% to $2.3 billion. The growth was driven by seven new store openings, while comparable-store sales declined 1%. Net income reached $129 million, and diluted earnings per share increased 1% to $1.37. CEO Jack Sinclair cited cautious consumer spending and weaker June trends due to difficult prior-year comparisons. E-commerce sales grew over 12%, and Sprouts-brand products showed strength. The company maintained its full-year outlook, projecting 5.5%–6.5% sales growth and diluted EPS of $5.32–$5.40. Sprouts plans to open 42 net new stores in 2026, ending the quarter with 490 stores across 25 states.

Sprouts remains focused on 'areas we can control' to improve performance, CEO says. Jack Sinclair said during Wednesday's earnings call that opening stores, growing its self-distribution network and learning more about its customers through its loyalty program are priorities. Published July 30, 2026 Dive brief: * Sprouts Farmers Market recorded a 5% increase in net sales and a 1% decrease in comparable-store sales during its second quarter 2026 - results that were "in line with our expectations," CEO Jack Sinclair told investors Wednesday. * New store openings fueled the net sales growth. However, the dip in same-store sales partially offset it, CFO Curtis Valentine said. * Sprouts also completed the rollout of its meat distribution facilities with the opening of a Northern California facility in Q2, President and COO Nick Konat said. Now, around 85% of Sprouts' stores carry fresh meat that flows through the company's own distribution centers, according to Sinclair. Dive insight: While Sprouts has seen modest improvements in both traffic and units, it recognizes that its shoppers still face an uneven macroeconomic environment. So, Sinclair said the company remains focused on "areas we can control," including sharpening value, strengthening local product sourcing, improving in-store experiences, advancing supply chain capabilities and continuing to maintain a strong new-store pipeline. The grocer's loyalty program has been one way that it has been able to gain more customer insights. As Sprouts continues to bolster the program, which has been live chainwide for less than a year, building out first-party data capabilities remains a priority for long-term value strategy, Sinclair said. "Loyalty and personalization remain important long-term enablers for the business," Sinclair said. "As consumer behavior evolves against this uneven macroeconomic backdrop, we continue to see progress. Our acceleration efforts have identified new tactics to drive sales that should benefit us in the second half, and the data we are building is increasingly useful across the business with more in-depth customer behavior and preferences." Sprouts plans to use this data to improve communication with its customers by sending out more targeted media and tailoring messaging to prompt product discovery, Sinclair added. E-commerce also continues to perform well, with digital sales growing more than 12% in Q2, accounting for approximately 16% of total quarterly sales, Valentine said. The grocer's private label work also continues to pay off, with the Sprouts brand once again outperforming the rest of the business, representing 26% of total sales, Valentine noted. Sprouts' self-distribution push, which has so far focused on produce and meat, will next focus on bringing select Sprouts brand items into existing company-owned distribution centers, Konat said. This will let the specialty grocer take more ownership of the items that are important to its customers, he added. Sinclair said that Sprouts plans to open 42 new stores in 2026, slightly ahead of its original guidance of at least 40 new locations.