How and why these Arizona grocers outgrew their home state
(Historical League photos not used in article)  |
Eddie Basha Historymaker 2001 |
Jan. 10, 2026, 5:00 a.m. MT
Arizona hosts dozens of national grocery and retail chains. Population growth and development continue to draw companies into metro Phoenix.
But which stores still in Arizona were also founded in the state?
Only a handful of major retailers were founded in Arizona and later grew into statewide or national brands. Expansion pushed each company away from local ownership through public offerings or corporate sales. Each company maintained significant operations in Arizona after that transition.
From grocery chains to a national retailer of pet products, here is a look at several retailers founded in Arizona.
Bashas' one of the originals
Bashas’ is one of Arizona’s oldest and most recognizable grocery brands.
The Basha family founded Bashas’ in Arizona in 1932, building the company from a single Chandler grocery store into a statewide supermarket chain, according to the Arizona Historical League’s oral history of Eddie Basha.
Bashas’ expanded across Arizona under multiple store brands, including Bashas’, Food City and AJ’s Fine Foods.
By the early 2000s, it had become one of the largest grocery operators in the state, with more than 100 locations across Arizona, New Mexico and the Navajo Nation.
The chain faced mounting pressure from national competitors and supply constraints, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October 2021, the Basha family announced it would sell Bashas’ to California-based Raley’s Holding Co. President and CEO Edward “Trey” Basha III said the pandemic highlighted the disadvantages smaller chains face when competing for limited supplier inventory, The Arizona Republic reported at the time.
The transaction ended nearly 90 years of family ownership but kept the brand’s operational base in Arizona.
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