A Bashas' grocery store that has anchored the corner of Warner Road and McClintock Drive in Tempe since 1986 is expected to close by the end of November, ending a four-decade run in the neighborhood. The company says it decided not to renew the store's lease after weighing the upcoming renewal, the location's performance and broader economic factors.
Bashas' has not set a firm closure date, according to ABC15 Arizona, which first reported the planned shutdown. The company told the station it is proud to have served the neighborhood since 1986, but that after a careful review of the store's performance and current economic conditions, it chose not to renew the lease. Bashas' also said it is working to place as many affected employees as possible at nearby locations.
A Neighborhood Fixture Since the 1980s
The store sits in Cobblestone Village, at the southwest corner of Warner and McClintock Roads, a location Bashas' once touted when it unveiled a remodeled version of the store, according to Greater Phoenix In Business Magazine. For longtime customer Ed Healy, the news landed as a surprise. Healy, who has shopped there for three decades, told the station he was caught off guard by the closure plans and described the store's service as friendly.
The Tempe closure is not the first time Bashas' has pulled out of a familiar East Valley spot. The station's report also points to the chain's former Chandler location near the historic water tower, which has since been demolished. That closure followed a much larger wave of cutbacks years earlier, when Bashas' announced it would shutter 14 stores across Arizona, including seven in the East Valley, as part of a Chapter 11 reorganization, per the East Valley Tribune. Those cuts included one store in Mesa, two in Chandler and one in Gilbert.
Ownership Change and a Shifting Grocery Market
Bashas' has operated under different ownership since 2021. Then-President and CEO Edward Basha announced on Oct. 1, 2021, that the Arizona-founded chain was being sold to California-based Raley's Holding Company, according to The Arizona Republic. Raley's completed its acquisition of Bashas', AJ's Fine Foods and Food City that December, the station's report notes.
The Tempe closure also arrives amid a longer shift in how Americans buy groceries. Citing USDA Economic Research Service data, the station's report notes that inflation-adjusted food sales at warehouse clubs and supercenters grew from $69 billion to $289 billion between 1997 and 2025, a 317.1% surge. Traditional grocery stores saw far more modest growth over the same stretch, with inflation-adjusted sales rising 15.7%, from $533 billion to $617 billion. That gap between big-box growth and grocery-store growth offers some context for why a store with a 40-year history might not get a renewed lease, even as the company stresses the decision came down to lease timing, performance and broader economic conditions at this particular site.
