After opening its first Arizona store in Glendale earlier this year, Vallarta Supermarkets is looking to add 10 to 15 more locations in the Phoenix area over the next 10 years, the company said.
Santa Clarita, Calif.-based Vallarta said it plans to open a second Arizona location in Phoenix early next year in an area of South Phoenix that has been designated as a food desert. The news was announced by the city of Phoenix, which last month approved a 2030 Food Action Plan to support access to fresh and healthy food in the city.
“We at Vallarta Supermarkets are thrilled to bring our first Phoenix location to South Phoenix and become part of such a vibrant and deserving community,” said Cesar Gonzalez, chief operating officer, Vallarta Supermarkets. “The fact that this site serves an area long recognized as a food desert was not lost on us during our site selection process.”
The location, which is near a busy light rail stop at Central Avenue and Baseline Road, will be an adaptive reuse project of a space that is currently vacant, the city said.
Vallarta is entering a fast-growing and highly competitive market in Phoenix, where Kroger’s Fry’s Food & Drug banner controls nearly 30% of the grocery market share, according to local reports. Other Hispanic-focused chains in the market include El Super, which has five locations in the market, and Los Altos Ranch Market, with seven stores. Each captures roughly 1% of the grocery market share.
Phoenix is also the home market of Sprouts, which has 36 stores in the market and tallies about 3.5% of the grocery sales. Both Aldi and WinCo have also recently entered the Phoenix area with plans for expansion in the region.
The Phoenix metro area, the nation’s 10th largest, has been one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the U.S., with population growth of about 1% last year, to 5.23 million people, according to U.S. Census data.
The first Vallarta Supermarket in Phoenix will include:
La Cocina, an in-store food court featuring ready-to-eat Latino dishes
A full service seafood department, including a ceviche bar
A traditional meat counter with custom cuts and pre-marinated meats
Tortilleria y Cremeria, featuring house-made tortillas prepared daily, an authentic Latin deli and a fresh-cut fruit creamery
La Isla Juice Bar, featuring made-to-order juice drinks, wellness shots and traditional aguas frescas
An in-store bakery and coffee bar
Family-owned Vallarta Supermarkets currently operates 64 stores in California and one in Arizona.
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