Bashas’ Opens 1st New Store in a Decade

Bashas’ Family of Stores has opened a new Bashas’ Diné Market, in Sanders, Ariz., the first store opening for the chain in 10 years.

The 16,000-square-foot store, which Bashas’ built from the ground up, features a bakery with an assortment of fresh doughnuts, cakes and signature Diné baked goods, including pumpkin cookies made from scratch; a deli offering a variety of hot and cold items, as well as self-serve packaged goods; a meat department with a diverse selection of meats trimmed daily by expert butchers, including fresh mutton; a produce department with a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables; and a dining area where shoppers can enjoy a freshly prepared meal.

Bashas’ is one of a few non-Native-American retailers with stores on the Navajo Nation; the Sanders store is the eighth reservation store. Since opening its first Diné Market in 1982, Bashas’ has been a collaborative member of the Navajo Nation, supporting education, nutrition, art, and health and wellness through community programs and partnerships.

 At least 95 percent of the employees at Bashas’ Diné Markets are Native American, and each store location gives back a percentage of its profits to the Navajo Nation. Bashas’ also operates three other stores on other Native American reservations across Arizona.

The store’s grand opening on Wednesday, April 3, which featured representatives of the Navajo Nation, and members of the Na’Ha’Ta Dzill Commission, included a community lunch in the Diné Market kitchen that served grilled chicken, a mixed-vegetable medley, and fruit.

Bashas' operates Food City, AJ's Fine Foods, Eddie's Country Store, and both Bashas' and Bashas' Diné supermarkets, totaling more than 100 grocery stores. The company is No. 38 on Progressive Grocer's 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.