The Downtown area's only major grocery store will close this month, to be torn down and rebuilt by the end of the year.
The closure of the Safeway at 1940 E. Broadway leaves Downtown's approximately 13,500 residents without a nearby place to shop for food and other necessities for months.
"It's going to have a big impact," said Alicia Moreno, who has been shopping at the store for about 10 years. "It's an inconvenience for a while, but it sounds like we're getting a bigger and better store. It's a trade-off to live with."
The 55,000-square-foot store is scheduled to close May 20, with demolition to start about a week later, said Nikki Daly, director of public affairs for Safeway's Phoenix division.
The new store will be one of 280 "Safeway Lifestyle" locations around the country. The concept features upgraded interiors — wood floors, subdued lighting, expanded organic products, full-service delis and seafood markets, bakeries and floral design centers.
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In a recent conference call with analysts, Safeway executives said the chain expects to spend nearly $1.6 billion on the "lifestyle" remodeling projects around the country.
The Downtown-area store will retain its in-store Starbucks and will build a new pharmacy with a drive-through window, Daly said. About 100 employees at the store were given options to transfer to other local Safeways, Daly said.
"We explored every option we could, but we couldn't keep the store open and remodel. We hate to do it, but there isn't any other way," Daly said.
Based in Pleasanton, Calif., Safeway Inc. operates 114 stores in Arizona, according to the company's Web site. Safeway operates 17 other locations in the Tucson area, extending to the Foothills and Tucson's far East Side. Three already operate under the "lifestyle" concept — the Foothills store at North Swan Road and East Sunrise Drive, the Northwest Side supermarket at West Ina and North Oracle roads, and the South Side store on Valencia Road west of Mission Road, Daly said.
Plans to remodel other Tucson locations haven't been finalized, she said.
Though smaller grocers operate in the Downtown region, Safeway is the only major chain with a presence near Downtown and the University of Arizona. Customers at the store range from working professionals picking up items during the lunch hour to UA students and elderly residents who walk or bike to the store for groceries.
Though no signs of closure were posted at the store as of Monday, cashiers, clerks and managers were telling customers about it.
David Muniz, who lives three blocks away, said the short-term closure will affect residents without transportation.
"A lot of people in our neighborhood walk or bike to the store. I'm surprised Safeway isn't saying anything more about the closure," Muniz said. "They should say, 'Hey, we're shutting down,' because it's important for a lot of people who live here."
Daly said signs announcing the closure are in production but haven't been posted yet.
This isn't the first time the East Broadway store has undergone a closure and remodeling.
In 1999, Safeway spent more than $8 million on a remodeling and expansion project, increasing the original store's size from 40,000 to its current 55,000 square feet. Safeway bought five adjacent properties to make way for the new building and parking lot.
"It's an inconvenience for a while, but it sounds like we're getting a bigger and better store. It's trade-off to live with."
Alicia Moreno
10-year store customer
