DENVER and PRESCOTT, Ariz., Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE: NGVC) is opening the second of three stores in Arizona today in Prescott. A new store in Flagstaff opened last week and a store in Sedona is planned for September. Natural Grocers is a regional grocery chain that offers only natural, organic, and affordably priced products, which will give all Prescott residents a broad selection of healthful, fresh, organic and natural food and products.

As part of its core values, Natural Grocers offers only USDA certified organic produce and all natural meats from animals naturally raised without the use of antibiotics or hormones. Also the grocery chain has an extensive supplement and body care department, a large selection of gluten-free products and other special dietary need products. In addition, the store offers an extensive bulk department – including serve yourself bulk peanut butter, almond butter and cashew butter – as well as a huge selection of organic and natural groceries free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and hydrogenated oils. 

For more than 55 years, the Isely family has managed Natural Grocers. Part of their commitment to maintain a true natural foods store is to avoid selling any products that contain artificial ingredients such as sweeteners, flavors, preservatives, hydrogenated oils or produce grown with synthetic pesticides. See: "What We Won't Sell and Why." Today the awareness of the benefits of eating natural foods is higher than ever and continues to grow, helping Natural Grocers expand to 57 stores in 12 states.

"Despite Prescott being a smaller city in Arizona, we knew it was one of the best locations for Natural Grocers because the residents are committed to living healthy, active lifestyles," said Kemper Isely, Natural Grocers co-President.  "Our stores make buying natural and organic foods and nutritional supplements affordable. We believe that the people of Prescott will be able to buy all of their groceries at our store without breaking their budget."

Nutritional Coaching
In addition to only offering foods that meet the Isely family's high standards for quality and health, Natural Grocers also offers free nutritional coaching - from individualized sessions, to meal planning, to general questions about nutrition and health. Every Natural Grocers has a credentialed Nutritional Health Coach in-house and all of the stores' staff is trained to help shoppers find products and resources to support optimal health. The company also offers free seminars and speakers of interest to the community (schedule available in the store and online at http://www.naturalgrocers.com/nutrition/nutrition-seminars).

Eco-friendly concept
True to the Natural Grocers philosophy, the new store was retrofitted for use at 470 Gail Gardner Way. It was designed with a variety of energy-efficient features including motion light sensors, 100 percent post-consumer content tiles, polished concrete flooring and commercial-grade LED lights.  

In addition, Natural Grocers is 100 percent shopping bag free (no paper, no plastic). In the event a customer forgets to bring their reusable bags, Natural Grocers offers free recycled boxes, but of course, they do sell inexpensive reusable shopping bags as well.

Local sourcing, local community
Natural Grocers is dedicated to its local communities, stocking local products whenever possible. Natural Grocers is always looking for new local products and is eagerly willing to consider any new local products, which can be reviewed by completing a product submission application on the website at www.naturalgrocers.com and click on the Natural Products tab.

In addition, the Prescott store has a Community Room where residents can come and get a free cup of coffee, tea and free Wi-Fi access. There is also a demo kitchen for presentations and available meeting space. Contact the store, or visit the Natural Grocers website for details of the upcoming events in the new kitchen and meeting space.

Starting August 14, Natural Grocers at 470 Gail Gardner Way in Prescott will be open Monday through Saturday at 8:56 a.m. closing at 8:04 pm and Sunday opening at 9:56 a.m. and closing at 6:06 p.m.  The store phone number will be (928) 771-0400.

Opening Week 
Natural Grocers' week long opening celebration for Prescott will take place August 14 – August 19.  Shoppers can enjoy tasty treats, free samples and giveaways, including:

• iPad compliments of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
• iPod Nano from Country Life Vitamins 
• $500 Natural Grocers Gift Card donated by NOW Foods
• GPS compliments of Garden of Life 
• Wii Sport Console from Nature's Way / Enzymatic Therapy
• Collectors' Backpack filled with tea and juices from Honest Tea
• Gift box of selected meat cuts from Wild Idea Buffalo
• Representatives from premier supplement companies, grocery, natural cosmetic and body care beauty lines will be on-hand for consultations and demonstrations
• Free chair massage Tuesday, August 14 and Saturday, August 18, mid-day for four hours
• Free daily gift basket giveaways
• Lots of free reusable grocery bag giveaways to help ease shoppers' transition to Natural Grocers' paper and plastic bag-free commitment (**Natural Grocers will also donate a nickel to a local food bank every time a customer checks out with their own bags.) 

About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
Since 1955, Colorado based, family operated, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has grown from the "Mom & Pop" grass-roots business, started by Margaret & Philip Isely.  Their children have now grown the stores to a national chain with locations in Colorado, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico, Montana, Kansas, Idaho, Nebraska and Arizona -- employing more than 1600 employees to date and still run by their children and grandchildren. The original family goal to offer Every Day Affordable Prices is a foundation of their business, enabling everyone to afford the products necessary to maintain their own healthcare. Education and Customer Service are cornerstones of Natural Grocers, as evidenced by their in-store nutritional support programs, free nutritional coaches and free public health & wellness seminars.

Natural Grocers provides a variety of over 25,000 organic and all natural products, selling only USDA certified organic produce, all natural body care products and the largest selection in the country of vitamins, minerals and herbs, combined with a knowledgeable and trained staff. Visit www.naturalgrocers.com for more information and their other store locations.

Contacts:

Nancy Flynn
Director of Marketing
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
(877) 986-4600 x144

SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc.