There are plenty of established players in the retail world, but the up-and-comers are always vying to knock them off the pedestal. In its latest issue of Stores, the magazine released a study listing the nation’s top 100 hottest retailers of 2012  by sales growth. Sprouts Farmers Market led the list with 71.9 percent sales growth. Below are the top five hottest retailers of 2012 and some insight into how each one earned its top spot.

#1 Sprouts Farmers Market — 71.9% Growth

According to a January 2012 Nielsen study, 63 percent of North Americans feel they are overweight and 80 percent admitted to changing their diet as a way to lose the extra pounds. Logically, changing to a healthier diet requires purchasing healthy foods — that’s where Sprouts Farmers Market comes into play.

Its merchandise selection ranges from organic and natural foods to mainstream items, but the approach is different even from other specialty grocers like Whole Foods. In store, Sprouts Farmers Markets have a natural and open feel to them, making grocery shopping easy, simple and fun. Customers walk into what looks like a farmers market with sections full of colorful fruits and vegetables.

#2 Verizon Wireless — 68.8% Growth

In 2011, Verizon Wireless customers had their prayers answered: Apple provided accessibility to the iPhone after a four-year wait. This news made frustrated AT&T customers scurry to be first in line to purchase one. In the first quarter of 2011 alone, Verizon activated 2.2 million iPhones.

Verizon Wireless also offered unlimited data plans to customers purchasing iPhones — an attractive offer for those looking to stream movies and music and connect to the Internet on the go. Verizon Wireless was also blessed with the iPad, further bolstering its Apple product line to consumers who are eager to purchase them.

#3 Michael Kors Holdings — 65.4% Growth

Michael Kors’ growth can be explained with one word: expansion. In 2011, the retailer opened 76 new stores and, as a result, saw profits soar. The brand also opened up new Michael Kors branded sections inside department stores and released a new watch line as well. All of these developments helped Michael Kors increase its net retail sales by 76 percent.

And though times were tough in the retail industry as the recession still loomed overhead, affluent customers — those who can afford the Michael Kors line — did not curb their shopping sprees. With wallets open, customers were ready to spend big on style and sophistication with the high-class Michael Kors brand. The brand has also received much publicity as of late through Kors’ appearances on reality television shows such as Project Runway.

#4 Lululemon Athletica — 64.9% Growth

With yoga becoming a go-to relaxation and training tool for Americans, one company must step up and fill the demand for yoga attire. That company is Lululemon Athletica. With yoga product spending up about 87 percent over the last five years, Lululemon has appealed to a growing market, primarily made up of women, who are looking to do yoga in light, form-fitting apparel.

Unlike Nike and Under Armour — next on this list — Lululemon does not directly pursue the athlete market with intense messaging such as “just do it” or “protect this house.” Rather Lululemon goes after a similar market full of consumers who want to be active and stay physically fit but don’t necessarily self-identify as athletes. With such a high price tag, the brand still performs well because consumers respond to the brand’s high-quality and authentic product line. Those looking to stay in style while staying in shape are choosing Lululemon to help them do so.

#5 Under Armour — 62.7% Growth

When Under Armour (UA) first struck its biggest college sponsorship deal with the University of Maryland in 2008, it opened the door to even bigger things. UA redesigned the Maryland football jerseys for the 2011 season. In March of 2011, UA inked yet another sponsorship deal with English Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur, earning the rights to make its jerseys for five years starting this season. And in December of 2011, UA earned rights to be the official athletic retailer of Northwestern University — releasing new football jerseys this past July.

These big deals have pushed UA towards the top of the athletic retail competition — it now competes with “big boys” Nike and Adidas. The retailer started with its athletic performance apparel, but over the years, it’s expanded to shoes, first cleats and now the new lightweight UA Spine RPM model — one that will rival the Nike Free Run. Consumers have always considered UA — marked first by its compression-fitting base layers and athletic apparel —as a “cool” brand, but that following, like all brands, started out small. As UA expands its product lines and its sponsorship deals, it is only a matter of time before the brand goes completely viral… if it hasn’t already.