August 03, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Sprouts Farmers Market plans to open a grocery store at the Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philly. The mall is in the midst of a $50-million renovation project. This is a file photo from the Sprouts location at South Broad and Carpenter streets.
Sprouts Farmers Market and popular fast-food chicken chain Raising Cane's will join the redeveloped Roosevelt Mall shopping center in Northeast Philadelphia.
Construction began earlier this year on the $50 million project to overhaul the shopping center at the intersection of Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue. The portion of the shopping center that's being redeveloped had long been the location of the bustling Roosevelt Flea Market, which has since moved to another parking lot near the Macy's that anchors the strip.
Sprouts is expected to open its 24,000-square-foot store in early 2024. The grocery store has made inroads in the Philadelphia region in recent years, including a store at South Broad and Carpenter streets and plans for stores at South Philly's Quartermaster Plaza and Northern Liberties' Rivermark development at 501 Christopher Columbus Blvd.
Raising Cane's, the Louisiana-based chain known for its chicken fingers, has expanded into the region with stores in University City, North Philly, Southwest Philly and Bucks County. There also are plans for four stores in South Jersey. The company uses chicken breast tenderloins brined for 24 hours to keep them juicy when they're hand-battered, breaded and fried.
Raising Cane's and the Asian fusion concept Panda Express both are expected to open at Roosevelt Mall in 2024 or 2025.
A rendering of the Roosevelt Mall redevelopment
The redevelopment is led by New York-based Brixmor Property Group, which aims to build over the large, underused parking lot of the 36-acre shopping center. The developer expects the addition of Sprouts to attract more new shops to the area, whose population is more than 306,000 within a 3-mile radius. The project also includes infrastructure upgrades and more greenery.
