The Ardent Companies (Ardent), a privately held real estate firm based in Atlanta, today announces Sprouts Farmers Market has signed a lease for Crossroads Shopping Center, a 92,000-square-foot neighborhood retail center in Savannah, Georgia. The lease comes as part of Ardent’s plans to reposition the center into a vibrant shopping destination.

Sprouts Farmers Market, one of the largest and fastest growing specialty retailers of fresh, natural and organic food in the United States, will open in a new retail space at Crossroads Shopping Center in 2027, marking the grocer’s first-ever Savannah location. By leveraging its in-house expertise, Ardent will revitalize the center, including repositioning approximately 28,000 square feet to make way for Sprouts and another new retail suite. In addition to refreshing the retail mix, Ardent will complete exterior renovations to the center. Demolition is expected to begin this summer.

“This is a well-located retail asset in one of the Southeast’s fastest-growing markets,” Scott Werbel, Partner at Ardent. “The addition of Sprouts brings a high-quality grocery anchor to the center that aligns with the retail needs of the surrounding area. We see a significant opportunity to reposition the center into a more dynamic neighborhood destination that drives traffic and creates value for the community.”

Demand for retail space in Savannah is high, with vacancy at just 4.4%. In addition, there continues to be significant growth in the grocery-anchored retail sector. According to JLL data, 54% of new grocery store openings in 2025 were in the southeast. 31% of Americans now shop for groceries multiple times per week, which drives additional foot traffic to neighborhood retail centers’ surrounding tenants. 

“The fundamentals for grocery-anchored retail in Savannah are particularly compelling,” said Jay Douglas, Managing Director for Ardent. “Consumers are increasingly gravitating toward convenience-driven shopping destinations, and Sprouts brings an exciting new offering to the market. We look forward to revitalizing the property into a shopping center with a dynamic retail mix and an engaging customer experience.”

Crossroads Shopping Center is strategically located along two major thoroughfares, East Victory Drive and Truman Parkway. There are over 126,994 consumers within a five-mile radius. Chatham County continues to see strong population and economic growth, with major drivers including Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), the Port of Savannah, manufacturing and the entertainment industry. 

Ardent has a proven track record of deploying creative solutions to revitalize distressed assets. Over the past twelve-plus months, Ardent has acquired more than $115 million in six ground-up mixed-use development and redevelopment projects across the Southeast. Its current pipeline includes Perimeter Pointe in Atlanta, Westside Bottling in Durham, N.C., Liberty Yards in Largo, Florida and Seminole Towne Center in Sanford, Florida.