Scottsdale, AZ – Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, a rapidly expanding retailer of specialty, high-quality food and dietary supplements, signed a 27,827-square-foot lease at Scottsdale Towne Square. The anchor space was formerly occupied by Smart and Final and is located at 13802 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Greg Saltz, President of GPS Retail Advisors, is the exclusive local tenant rep broker for Natural Grocers and represented his client in the lease of the first store in Scottsdale. August 11 will be the grand opening and Natural Grocers 100^th store. As part of the grand opening, the first 100 customers will receive a gift card up to $100. Saltz will exclusively represent Natural Grocer in the expansion plans for additional sites in Phoenix and surrounding communities. Natural Grocers is on pace to open 18 new stores nationally this year with a projected 20% growth in 2016. Phoenix could see as many as 10 new stores in the next few years.

”The increasing consumer demand for healthy organic food will continue to drive the growth for Natural Grocers,” said Greg Saltz of GPS Retail Advisors.  “They are passionate about their business model and are looking forward to providing Arizona consumers with a healthy and affordable option to shop organic.”  Saltz goes on to say, “The Phoenix market should be very excited about this tenant and what it will bring to our retail landscape. We look forward to continued expansion in our market for years to come.”

Desired site criteria for additional sites includes existing, freestanding, end-cap or inline retail shop spaces located within established trade areas adjacent to synergistic retailers. The flexible, scalable store models range from 13,000 to 25,000 square-feet.

To learn more Saltz should be contacted at [email protected] or 480.231.3473.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) while announcing results for its Q3 and year to date fiscal 2014, also updated its outlook for fiscal year 2014 and provided initial fiscal year 2015 outlook last week.

Reliable sources told us that Natural Grocers has leased the vacant 16,000-square-feet, former Office Depot, space at the southeast corner of Broadway and Kolb owned by Larsen Baker of Tucson and are looking to add 4 to 6 Tucson locations. The company has stores in Sedona, Flagstaff and Prescott in Arizona already.

Natural Grocers is a rapidly expanding specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries and dietary supplements whose products must meet strict quality guidelines. Grocery products may not contain artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, or partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils. Natural Grocers’ flexible small-store format allows it to offer affordable prices in a shopper-friendly retail environment. The Company provides extensive, free, science-based nutrition education programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition choices. The Company, founded in 1955, has 84 stores in 14 states as of the date of this earnings release.

Highlights for Third Quarter and Year to Date Fiscal 2014

• As of June 30, 2014, the Company had $6.6 million in cash and cash equivalents and no amounts outstanding on the revolving credit facility.
• Year to date fiscal 2014, the Company generated $23.5 million in cash from operations and invested $26.9 million in capital expenditures primarily for new stores.
• Net sales increased 18.4% to $134.0 million in the third quarter and increased 22.0% to $385.0 million year to date

• Daily average comparable store sales increased 3.1% in the third quarter and increased 6.3% year to date
• Net income increased 16.6% to $3.4 million with diluted earnings per share of $0.15 in the third quarter and increased 23.6% to $10.3 million with diluted earnings per share of $0.46 year to date
• EBITDA increased 22.0% to $10.6 million in the third quarter and increased 28.8% to $31.2 million year to date

“We continue to focus on new store investments including infrastructure to support our growth while controlling expenses and maintaining profitability,” said Kemper Isely, Co-President. “We have clear direction on how we intend to manage expenses and margin going forward while we work on various initiatives to increase sales. We plan to continue our 20% unit growth into fiscal 2015 and intend to open 18 new stores in that period. We are excited about the increasing demand for natural and organic food and believe this supports the growth opportunity we see ahead of us.”

During the third quarter of fiscal year 2014, the Company opened three new stores, bringing the total store count as of June 30, 2014 to 84 stores located in 14 states.

The Company plans to open a total of 15 stores in fiscal year 2014 and expects to remodel two existing stores. One of the remodels has been completed and 12 new stores have opened year to date fiscal 2014.

As of this release, the Company has signed leases for the remaining three stores it plans to open in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2014 and has seven signed leases for stores planned to open after fiscal year 2014 in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada and Oklahoma.

Visit www.NaturalGrocers.com for more information and store locations or the Home Office directly at (877) 986-4600.