Fry’s Opening Seven New Arizona Stores This Year, Six Are Marketplaces

Last updated on March 9th, 2016 at 02:05 pm

Fry’s Food Stores, a banner of The Kroger Co., is expanding its presence in Arizona with the addition of seven new stores in 2016. Fry’s says it will invest $260 million in Arizona to build six new Marketplace stores and to add one new store in Tucson along with multiple fuel centers at the properties. This funding also will be used to build additional fuel centers and complete expansion projects and remodels. The growth initiative will create more than 2,000 full- and part-time jobs, Fry’s says.

“Fry’s is a company that is focused on smart, strategic growth and providing a highly-satisfied customer shopping experience,” said Steve McKinney, president of Fry’s Food Stores. “We’ve operated here since 1960. In that period, we’ve grown our footprint to 119 stores and 82 fuel centers. Fry’s successfully reached this point by closely monitoring the unique needs of this market and evolving to meet the requests of our customers.”

The seven new store locations include:

• Fry’s Marketplace (Signal Butte and Guadalupe), 2724 S. Signal Butte Road in Mesa. Scheduled opening, summer 2016.

• Fry’s Marketplace (Bell and 14th Street, a new larger store that will replace the current Fry’s Food Store at 7th Street and Bell), 1311 E. Bell Road in Phoenix, summer 2016.

• Fry’s Marketplace (Camelback and Litchfield roads), 13830 W. Camelback Road in Litchfield Park, fall 2016.

• Fry’s Marketplace (Gilbert and Ocotillo), 2929 E. Ocotillo Road in Chandler, fall 2016.

• Fry’s Food Store (Valencia and Valley Indian Agency), 1795 W. Valencia Road in Tucson, store size to be 102,375 s.f., fall 2016.

• Fry’s Marketplace (Lake Pleasant and Happy Valley Road), 25401 N. Lake Pleasant Parkway in Peoria, fall 2016.

• Fry’s Marketplace (North Valley Parkway), 2800 W. Dove Valley Road in Phoenix, fall 2016.

Fry’s Marketplace stores are approximately 124,000 s.f. These six new stores in Maricopa County all will feature adjacent fuel centers and several amenities such as Starbucks Coffee Shops, Murray’s Cheese Stores, wine/beer tasting, sushi bar, salad bar, soup bar, made-to-order sandwiches, indoor seating, outdoor patio, The Little Clinic, pharmacy drive-up window and more.

Two of the Marketplace stores, in Peoria and Phoenix (North Valley Parkway), will feature a Power Parasol, which will provide solar powered shaded parking.

Fry’s was the first retailer to install the Power Parasol in 2013 at its I-17 and Bell Road Marketplace store in Phoenix. The pilot project proved to be a hit with customers and the store quickly realized a 20 percent savings on its electric bill, according to the Tolleson-based grocer.

“We pride ourselves on providing the best possible experience for our customers inside every Fry’s Food Store,” said McKinney. “Now, we have found a way to provide a better experience outside our stores. Plus it increases our ‘green efforts,’ which help to make our community a better place to live now and in the future.

“We strive to make all of our stores as energy efficient as possible,” he added. “Our division currently has 115 stores achieving the Energy Star rating. We plan for all our new stores to earn the Energy Star rating as well.”

The new Tucson store will feature an adjacent fuel center, Starbucks Coffee Shop, salad bar, soup bar, sushi bar, made-to-order sandwiches, indoor patio, pharmacy drive-up window and more.