TEMPE — The Bashas’ grocery store at Warner Road and McClintock Drive in Tempe, open since 1986, will close by the end of November, the company told ABC15.
Bashas’ said it decided not to renew the store’s lease after a “careful review” of the store’s performance and economic factors. There is not yet a firm closing date.
The company said it is working to place as many employees as possible at nearby locations.
Longtime shopper Ed Healy told ABC15 he has shopped at the store for three decades. “It’s always been a great store to go to,” he said. “Many of the [employees] have been here for years.”
Raley’s acquired the Arizona-founded Bashas’ chain, along with AJ’s Fine Foods and Food City, in December 2021. Another recent closure was the Chandler store near the historic water tower, which has since been demolished, the station reported.
Traditional grocers have been far outpaced by warehouse clubs and supercenters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported in August that inflation-adjusted food sales at warehouse clubs and supercenters rose 317.1% from 1997 to 2025, from $69 billion to $289 billion, while grocery store sales rose 15.7%, from $533 billion to $617 billion.
Bashas’ was founded in Arizona in 1932.
Sources: ABC15. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Alabama Extension / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
