WinCo to Open Two More Arizona Stores

Employee-owned discount grocer WinCo Foods continues to expand its presence in Arizona, and plans to open two stores in Gilbert to bring its store count in the state to five.

The retailer recently opened stores in Phoenix, Glendale and Mesa. Each is over 90,000 square feet and employs approximately 200 associates, most hired locally.

According to published reports, WinCo is the proposed tenant for a shopping center that has slated 95,000 square feet for the grocer. Costco Wholesale and Walmart also have stores in the market.

On Oct. 19, 2009 WinCo started its expansion into Utah -- the first venture into a new state since the purchase of 1985 -- by opening its first two stores in the state on the same day. Then in 2010 the company opened a store in Orem, Utah, marking the return to an area it once occupied under the Waremart Food Centers banner. Later in the year, it continued to expand its presence in the state by opening in the cities of Ogden and Roy. While experiencing this successful expansion, WinCo Foods also solidified its presence in Vancouver, Wash. by opening its fourth store in the city.

Today, Boise, Idaho-based WinCo operates 85 stores in seven states: Washington, Idaho, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Arizona.