A year after acquiring Chandler, Ariz.-based The Bashas’ Company, The Raley’s Companies is investing in new Bashas’ corporate offices.
The facility, which will remain in Chandler, will be the hub for merchandising and operations for Bashas’ banners that include Bashas’, Food City, AJ’s Fine Foods, Eddie’s Country Store and Bashas’ Diné grocery stores across Arizona and New Mexico.
“We are committed to preserving and enhancing the Bashas’ brands, and this includes our investment in an office that fosters innovation and collaboration,” Keith Knopf, president and chief executive officer of West Sacramento, Calif.-based The Raley’s Companies, said in a statement.
“It goes without saying that Chandler has built a very close relationship with Bashas’ over the decades, and it was a top priority for us to keep these quality office jobs in our community,” Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said in a statement. “We appreciate The Raley’s Companies proactive outreach to city leadership early on in the real estate process.”
The opening of a new facility indicates that Raley’s will retain a strong corporate presence in the area. Last year’s purchase agreement noted that Bashas’ would be a fully formed operating company within the Raley’s enterprise and would maintain it corporate headquarters, stores, and distribution center in Arizona.
Raley’s also said last year that there would be no changes to the store banners or local store leadership, and no planned alterations to employee roles, compensation, or benefits.
Bashas’ operates more than 100 outlets in a variety of store formats which the company said are unique to the communities they serve.
These include Bashas’, traditional grocery stores that reach out to the immediate neighborhood customer base; AJ’s Fine Foods, which offers a gourmet shopping experience; Food City, with a focus on serving the Hispanic community in Arizona by carrying aisles of traditional Mexican foods along with items found in a traditional grocery store; and Bashas’ Diné Markets, which are located on Native American reservations throughout Arizona and specialize in serving the needs of Navajo customers with such products as Blue Bird flour for fry bread, mutton and wool. In-store signage is in the native language.
Along with the Bashas’ outlets, Raley’s owns and operates 126 grocery stores in California and Nevada under banners that include Raley’s, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods, Food Source and Sak N’ Save.
