Sprouts Farmers Market is zeroing in on the former Big Lots building near Grandview Heights, a move that would drop a produce-heavy specialty grocer right onto the already busy West Fifth Avenue retail strip and replace a big-box vacancy with bins of fruits and veggies.
According to Columbus Business First, the Phoenix-based chain has begun the process of taking over the former Big Lots site. Sprouts bills itself as one of the country’s fastest-growing specialty grocers and has been pushing into new markets, according to investor materials from Sprouts.
Where it’ll be
The former Big Lots sits at 1451 W. Fifth Ave., at the corner of West Fifth and Grandview avenues, in a building listed at roughly 67,948 square feet on property listings. LoopNet listings and public records show the property has long operated in a supermarket-style format that can handle a full-service grocer.
What this means for shoppers
If the deal is finalized, the site would flip from a discount model to a specialty-grocery experience. Sprouts leans on fresh produce, natural and organic offerings and prepared foods, in contrast to the closeout and general-merchandise mix that Big Lots carried.
The Big Lots chain went through wide-scale closures in 2024 and 2025, leaving behind large-format holes in shopping centers that are now appealing to grocers and other tenants, as covered in earlier reporting on Columbus store closures.
Timing and next steps
The Columbus Business First report did not include an opening date or construction timeline for the Grandview location, and Sprouts did not immediately respond to local media with comment. The chain typically rolls out local hiring events and shares staffing targets in advance of openings, as it did when preparing a recent Southern California store, according to a press release from Sprouts…