At the corner of Scottsdale Road and SkySong Boulevard, a three-level parking garage sits above a new grocery store. The address is 1490 N. Scottsdale Road. At 6:45 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, Sprouts Farmers Market will cut the ribbon on its South Scottsdale store there. Doors open at 7 a.m., the first 200 shoppers get a free reusable tote, and the first 400 customers get a long-stem rose from Falcon Farms Floral.
Thirteen days later, Whole Foods Market opens in the building that held the Fry's at Indian School and Miller roads. On Thomas Road, Aldi is hiring for a store in an existing shopping center. None of the three is building on open land. Each is moving into a site that waited a long time for a grocer, and that explains why South Scottsdale is getting three smaller, specialized stores rather than one big supermarket.
The Papago Plaza Corner Waited Years for This Friday
The Sprouts site is part of the Papago Plaza redevelopment, now called Papago Marketplace, at the southwest corner of Scottsdale and McDowell roads. Pivot Development Company is the developer. City planning documents say the project replaced 13 demolished retail buildings that together covered more than 118,000 square feet.
The grocery store took the longest of anything on the site. When demolition started in 2019, ABC15 reported that Aldi was among the tenants said to have signed on to the original plan. In June 2022, while the developer was still negotiating with Sprouts, ABC15 reported that the grocery store and the garage above it were expected to be finished in the second quarter of 2024. AZBEX later reported that Sprouts signed its agreement for the store and garage in August 2022. Other parts of the site moved faster. AZBEX reported that the 274-unit SeventyOne15 McDowell apartments were finished in 2022 and the 116-room SpringHill Suites opened in September 2023.
So the people living and staying on this corner have been without a grocery store on site for more than two years longer than first planned. The store opening Friday is also smaller than the "supermarket" label suggests. Scottsdale's approval calls for a 23,453-square-foot store under the garage. It's the second Sprouts south of Chaparral Road. The other one, at 4402 N. Miller Road, is roughly three miles away and open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The store doesn't finish the whole project. In April 2025, AZBEX reported that the separate retail and restaurant phase had been on hold since 2023. No public update on those buildings has followed, so for now Sprouts and its garage are the newest part of the corner.
The Fry's Building Reopens on November 12
The second empty space is better known. KTAR reported in May 2024 that the Fry's at Indian School and Miller, in the center KTAR called Downtown East, was set to close May 31 and that Whole Foods would take the space. For the more than two years since, people near Old Town have done their weekly shopping somewhere else.
According to the company's Oct. 15 announcement, the new store at 7628 E. Indian School Road opens at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12. After that, it's open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. It covers 38,158 square feet and is the 11th Whole Foods in Arizona.
The store's local lineup is more interesting than its square footage. The company says it will stock more than 260 products from more than 70 Arizona suppliers. They include squash and herbs from Duncan Family Farms, salads from Willo Indoor Farms, citrus from Silver Canyon Citrus, fudge from Black Mesa Ranch, chocolate from Stone Grindz Chocolate, cold brew from Cartel Roasting Co., popcorn from Kettle Heroes and salsa from Sting 'N' Linger Salsa Co. The beer selection includes Four Peaks Brewing Company, Huss Brewing Co. and Wren House Brewing, out of more than 700 wines and 245 craft beers overall. Sushi at the prepared foods counter comes from Kikka Sushi, next to hot and salad bars, pizza by the slice and a Market Sandwich station.
That prepared-food counter matters at this address. The store sits a short drive east of Old Town's restaurant blocks, so it works as a place to pick up lunch as much as a place to stock the pantry.
Why None of the Three Is a Big Box
All three stores going into existing spaces is part of a larger pattern. Lisa Bednar, president of the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, told Axios Scottsdale that grocery chains are moving away from building large stores in established communities and putting those projects in faster-growing areas on the edges of the Phoenix metro. South Scottsdale is about as established as the Valley gets. A grocer coming in here ends up in a vacant anchor space, under a garage or in an old discount suite.
Bednar also described how people shop now. In the same Axios piece, she said shoppers increasingly buy staples and store brands at discount or traditional stores and go to specialty grocers for other items. Axios cited a 2026 FMI study finding that Americans visit an average of 5.4 grocery chains a month. Splitting a week's shopping across several stores works better with smaller ones, and that's what South Scottsdale is getting.
| Store | Address | What was there before | Size | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprouts Farmers Market | 1490 N. Scottsdale Rd. | Papago Plaza retail buildings, demolished | 23,453 sq. ft. per city approval | Oct. 30, 2026, doors at 7 a.m. |
| Whole Foods Market | 7628 E. Indian School Rd. | Fry's, closed 2024 | 38,158 sq. ft. | Nov. 12, 2026, doors at 8 a.m. |
| Aldi | 7919 E. Thomas Rd., Indian River Plaza | A 99-cent store suite | Not announced | Not announced; hiring as of Oct. 15 |
Axios summed up the three by niche. Aldi is the discount store, Sprouts focuses on healthy food, and Whole Foods is the upscale option. Together they cover different budgets.
Aldi Comes Back to South Scottsdale on Thomas Road
Aldi was once part of the Papago Plaza plan and is now arriving at a different shopping center. A 2025 planning filing with the City of Scottsdale says the store will take Suite 1 of an existing 99-cent retail space at Indian River Plaza, 7919 E. Thomas Road. Suite 2 will stay retail. The city's permit record for the "ALDI MARKET" at that address shows its plan review as completed.
Aldi hasn't announced an opening date. Axios reported on Oct. 15 that the company was hiring for the store, which is usually a sign that opening is getting closer. Of the three openings, this one is the hardest to put on a calendar.
The Next Three Weeks, Date by Date
Here's what's confirmed, from closest to furthest away:
- Friday, Oct. 30. Sprouts cuts the ribbon at 6:45 a.m. at Scottsdale Road and SkySong Boulevard, and doors open at 7 a.m. The tote and rose giveaways go to the first shoppers in line.
- Through Sunday, Nov. 1. Grand-opening deals continue at the new Sprouts. Sprouts hasn't posted the store's regular hours yet.
- Thursday, Nov. 12. Whole Foods opens at 8 a.m. at 7628 E. Indian School Road. Starting the next day, it's open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
- Date to be announced. Aldi opens at Indian River Plaza, 7919 E. Thomas Road.
These openings land in the same weeks that Canal Convergence returns to the Scottsdale Waterfront, Nov. 6 through 15, so the stretch of Scottsdale Road between SkySong and the canal will be busier than usual in early November.
New grocery stores also change things for vacation rental owners in and around Old Town. A good grocery run close by is part of a guest's stay, and we keep track of the stores our guests can reach. If you own a vacation rental near any of these three addresses and want to know what this means for your bookings, Neighbors Luxury can walk you through the numbers. Request a Free Vacation Rental Property Analysis.
