Wellness Is Winning in the Grocery Aisle as Fresh-Format Grocers Surge
“Premium brands emphasizing health and wellness are emerging as the primary engine of growth in the grocery sector,” a new report from location intelligence platform Placer.ai noted
You know that scent when you walk into a health food grocer? It’s almost undefinable, a delicate mix of parsley, eucalyptus and sandalwood. It just smells… healthy. But brands and grocers are smelling another kind of green: money.
Once the domain of organic devotees, health-forward grocery stores are no longer serving only patchouli-wearing, tote-carrying shoppers meandering through the aisles. Today, these stores have gone mainstream, aspirational and, according to new data from Placer.ai, are now the fastest-growing category in U.S. grocery, driven by high-income consumers looking for quality, health and speed.
Placer.ai’s latest report shows that fresh-format grocers, led by chains like Sprouts, posted the strongest year-over-year traffic gains of any grocery category in 2025. While the segment represents just 7% of total grocery visits, it’s growing faster than traditional, ethnic and value formats, signaling a shift in where and how Americans shop.
That growth is being fueled by affluent shoppers, who are increasingly drawn to premium, better-for-you food options that fit into a health-first lifestyle.
“Premium brands emphasizing health and wellness are emerging as the primary engine of growth in the grocery sector,” the report noted.
Healthy + Fast Is the Name of the Game
The trend is also changing how people shop. Short grocery trips (defined as visits lasting under 10 minutes) have surged over the past two years, and Placer.ai found that fresh formats are perfectly positioned to capture them. Such stores attract quick, purpose-driven visits, such as a stop for a health prepared meal, a cold-pressed juice, unique grocery items or high-quality produce, aligning with consumers’ preferences for both convenience and healthy options.
Grocers have also become collaboration zones, as seen with Erewhon. Long known for its buzzworthy smoothie drops, the upscale grocer teamed up this month with clean energy brand Gorgie for the Cherry Crush Smoothie, inspired by the company’s Cherry Lime energy drink. The beverage brand raised $24.5 million in Series A earlier this year.
It’s not just the affluent chasing wellness. Erewhon’s cult status has spilled far beyond Los Angeles, with fans nationwide desperate for their own slice of the grocery chain’s glow. The demand hit a fever pitch last week when the company teased a ‘Taste of Erewhon in Your City’ campaign across Instagram, featuring 20 city maps from New York to New Orleans. The cryptic rollout led fans to believe Erewhon was finally expanding, only to reveal that its Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie Kit would be shipping nationwide instead.
The $100 at-home kit, modeled after its viral Strawberry Glaze smoothie, quickly sold out. It’s another sign that wellness has moved beyond the checkout line.
The focus on health and convenience isn’t limited to physical stores. Online grocers are leaning into the same wellness wave, only with algorithms instead of aisles. Thrive Market, the membership-based online grocer, is using AI to make healthy shopping smarter and more intuitive.
At Groceryshop 2025 in Las Vegas and reported by Supermarket News, co-founder and CEO Nick Green recently explained how Thrive’s new AI Cart feature personalizes the experience from the start. When new members join, they complete a quick quiz about dietary needs, food sensitivities and household habits. The system then blends those responses with past purchase data to suggest products and even pre-fill shopping carts with likely favorites before a customer begins browsing.
“Even through ups and downs in the economy, people who prioritize their health continue to do so through thick and thin,” Green said.