By Gabriela Rico for Arizona Daily Star
Residents eagerly awaiting the arrival of a planned Fry’s store near the rapidly growing Gladden Farms area in Marana will have to wait for another grocer.
Kroger, Fry’s parent company, recently announced plans to scrap the planned store and will sell the 11-acre site on Tangerine and Lon Adams roads.
Last year, Kroger announced plans to cut back on new stores by 35 percent and focus on remodels and digital sales.
Competitors Kept Out
In the last 16 months there have been 421 new home permits issued in and around Gladden Farms.
Fry’s bought the Marana site in 2006 and started site improvements in 2007 that halted when the recession hit, said Dean Wingert, vice president of Crown West Land Group, which is working on developing the parcel.
“Ever since Fry’s purchased their Gladden Farms site, the fact that they planted their flag at that location and could decide to build a store at any time has deterred other grocers from jumping into that trade area,” he said.
New Fry’s projects are now mainly to replace older stores.
While the growing rooftops in the Gladden Farms area call for a major grocer, changing shopper habits are influencing retailers’ decisions to invest.
“There’s been a lot of national stories about changing shopping trends and the ability to shop online and have groceries delivered to your house within 24 hours or even on the same day,” Wingert said.
Read more at Arizona Daily Star.