IGA Buying 19 ABCOs in Arizona from Fleming

PHOENIX-Fleming Cos. has had a special on its closing chain of ABCO grocery stores in the Valley that continues to attract buyers.

Independent IGA grocers have purchased 19 of the 33 stores that ABCO had up for sale in the southwest. The first stores being converted into IGA markets are in four locations in the Valley and six in Tucson, says Jim Tooms, president of the Phoenix-based IGA West Group. The stores will be converted sometime this year. The sale price for the stores was not disclosed.

IGA hopes to close on the purchase of the other nine stores in the next few weeks, Tooms says. Until this sale, IGA had just one store in the Valley, a Sun Foods outlet in Sun City and 20 others throughout the state.