LAKEWOOD, Colo., June 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Grocers will open two new stores on July 12, bringing nearly 60 jobs to the community. The company, which already has 9 existing stores in the state of Arizona, employs more than 3,000 people and operates 116 stores in 19 states. The Gilbert stores will be located at 1625 E. Williams Field Rd. and 2151 E. Baseline Rd.

Just like its dedication to its customers and community, Natural Grocers has a 60 year history of caring for its employees.

As part of its founding principles, the company supports all employees by offering:

• Competitive pay, including the exclusive Natural Grocers Vitamin Bucks program, which provides employees an extra $1 per hour worked of in-store spending money.
• Birthday bonuses of 1 day's pay, which originated from founder Margaret Isely's tradition of celebrating the birthdays of all employees by preparing lunch for them. Once the company became larger, her children, the current executives of the company, implemented the policy of providing each employee with a full day's pay on their birthday to say "thank you for working with us."
• Company-wide store discounts and credits of up to 30% on all Natural Grocers products, which provides employees substantial savings on high quality groceries and supplements and helps them retain more of the dollars they earn.
• Natural Grocers also offers comprehensive benefits packages to the over 80% of its employees who are full time, including medical, dental and vision insurance; flexible spending and health savings accounts; short- and long-term disability and life insurance; a 401K savings plan; generous paid time off; and extensive free nutrition education programs.

"Commitment to our employees has always been a top priority, it is one of our founding principles and we base our business practices on those principles," said Kemper Isely, co-president of Natural Grocers. "We cannot properly serve our customers without our talented staff and nutrition experts. The crew we have put in place in Gilbert are the experts in their field and will bring a great deal of knowledge and value to the Natural Grocers family and Gilbert community."

Natural Grocers will provide the Gilbert community with fresh produce that is exclusively USDA Certified Organic, as well as other healthy, affordable, organic and natural products. The store will feature a mix of national brands and a selection of locally produced products from Washington in a small, neighborhood market environment. The Gilbert store will also feature a Nutritional Health Coach and offer free nutrition education classes to the public.

Visit the Val Vista and Baseline store pages to learn more about each location. Join the #NaturalGrocers social conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC; NaturalGrocers.com) is a rapidly expanding specialty retailer of organic and natural groceries, body care and dietary supplements. The company offers a flexible, neighborhood-store format, affordable prices and free, science-based nutrition education programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition choices. Founded in Colorado in 1955, Natural Grocers has over 3,000 employees and operates 116 stores in 19 states.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141209/163083LOGO

SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc.