Sprouts Farmers Market to test curbside pickup option

PHOENIX — As the battle to make grocery shopping more convenient heats up, Sprouts Farmers Market announced Wednesday it would test a curbside pickup option.

No details were released about when the program would start and where it would be available.

Sprouts, headquartered in Phoenix, marked 16 years in business in July. The company has more than 300 stores in 17 states and has opened five new stores in Arizona this year.

According to The Street, Sprouts could be a target for acquisition by a larger company, with Albertson’s and Target mentioned as potential suitors.

The company, in partnership with Instacart, already offers a delivery service for a fee at some locations.

Bigger chains such as Walmart and Kroger have been expanding their curbside service as a way to make shopping more convenient and boost sales.

Whole Foods has been rolling out the service, in which groceries are ordered online and picked up at the store. Target recently said it’s reduced the curbside wait time to two minutes.

Last month, Fry’s started testing a delivery service that uses driverless vehicles at one Scottsdale store.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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