Sprouts Farmers Market looks to be closing in on its first San Francisco store in SoMa, with city filings and industry chatter pointing straight at the long-vacant retail complex at 555 Ninth Street. The site already has national players like Trader Joe’s and The Container Store, so a Sprouts move-in could shake up grocery runs for nearby residents and office workers. A Sprouts manager in Daly City told reporters the chain expects to open in San Francisco in 2028, although no formal lease has been publicly confirmed.
What the filings show
Documents filed last week with the San Francisco Planning Department include a request to modify a curb cut to service a 'trash compactor for new grocery store' at 555 Ninth St. That detail lines up with a pending lease for Sprouts, as reported by The San Francisco Standard. The Standard reports that the curb-cut request is one of several recent permit records tied to the property, and that sources familiar with the potential deal have identified Sprouts as the likely incoming tenant.
Where Sprouts would go
The SoMa complex at 555 Ninth Street is a block-long, two-level shopping center with a parking garage and multiple large-format storefronts. Acadia Realty lists Trader Joe’s and The Container Store as anchor tenants and markets several sizable vacant suites for big retailers. Acadia Realty also touts the center’s highway visibility and nearly 300 on-site parking spaces, an increasingly rare perk for retail sites in San Francisco.
Who Sprouts is
Sprouts is a Phoenix-based, produce-forward grocery chain that runs hundreds of stores across the country and has been steadily expanding around the Bay Area in recent years, according to corporate statements. The company has leaned into delivery services and local partnerships while growing its footprint, signaling that it is open to more urban locations. Sprouts Farmers Market has highlighted multiple Bay Area expansion moves but has not issued any public announcement about a San Francisco lease.
Why this matters for city grocers
The potential SoMa opening lands at a time when San Francisco’s grocery scene has been in flux. The Lucky supermarket in Bayview has announced a closure that will remove a key neighborhood grocery option, and developers have floated plans to redevelop several Safeway locations into housing projects that could temporarily shutter stores during construction. The San Francisco Chronicle has covered the planned shutdown of the Bayview Lucky, and SFist has followed proposals to turn multiple Safeway properties into mixed-use developments that include replacement grocery space.
Timing and local reaction
Employees at the Trader Joe’s in the same center said they had not heard anything about a Sprouts opening nearby, and a manager at a Daly City Sprouts confirmed to reporters that the chain expects to open a San Francisco location in 2028, according to The San Francisco Standard. Leasing brokers for the property did not immediately respond to media inquiries, and no official announcement has appeared from the company.
If the lease moves ahead, Sprouts would bring its familiar produce-heavy layout and natural foods selection to a stretch of SoMa that has seen regular retail turnover in recent years. We will be watching city permit filings and the property’s leasing updates for firm confirmation and a clearer timeline.
