As Bashas' celebrates its 75th anniversary, it sees plenty of room to grow its expanding portfolio of store banners without leaving its home state of Arizona.

While it could distribute as far north as Las Vegas, as far west as Palm Springs, Calif., and as far east as Albuquerque, N.M., it's unlikely to do so, at least in the near term, Mike Proulx, president and chief operating officer of the Chandler, Ariz.-based company, told SN.

“Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states in the country, with a population of 6 million that's expected to double in the next 25 years or less, and we intend to continue to grow as Arizona grows.

“We are Arizona. Our roots are here, and our lives are here. We've been here for 75 years and we'll be here for another 75 years and then some because this is home.

“At this point [expanding outside the state] is not really one of the top items under discussion. There's so much going on in Arizona, with plenty of opportunities to focus on to grow the business in areas where we already operate.”

Bashas' does have two stores outside Arizona — one in California, on the Arizona border, and one in New Mexico — but those stores are the exception, Proulx pointed out.

“We look at surveys of population growth and demographic patterns outside the state, but nothing hard and fast,” Proulx explained. “And while we're not looking very aggressively, if opportunities come up that make sense, we would certainly be interested in looking at them.”