Farewell, Henry's ... Hello, Sprouts!

The new sign went up along Lemon Grove Avenue on Monday morning, and the is now a Sprouts Farmers Market.

The change is part of the ongoing merger of the two grocery chains, which were both founded years apart by the Boney Family of San Diego. The merger was announced in February, and in July the first wave of store changeovers began. Throughout the month, several Henry’s stores throughout the county will also be converted to Sprouts.

The company aims to make the transition as smooth as possible, with little disruption to the product line and store layout. Customers may also see some prices drop, as the company will now have twice the buying power.

The newly formed company will be under the majority ownership of Apollo Management, a private equity firm that owns Henry’s and Smart & Final. The company’s operations, however, will be managed by minority owners Stan Boney and Shon Boney, founders of Sprouts and the son and grandson of Henry and Jessie Boney, who founded Henry’s.

Thanks to the merger, the company is now one of the largest grocers in the western U.S. with projected annual revenues in excess of $1 billion. The company has more than 7,000 employees, operates more than 100 stores throughout Arizona, California, Colorado and Texas, and it is expected to open 10 more stores in 2011.