Several stores closed by Southwest Supermarkets are likely to be purchased by other grocery stores chains, given the competitive nature of the grocery store market in the Valley, says Judi Butterworth, a retail broker in the Phoenix office of CB Richard Ellis. The stores range from 30,000 sf to 45,000 sf. "Several people wanted those sites when Fleming put them up," she tells GlobeSt.com. "I think several of those will be gobbled up." The locations that have little nearby grocery competition are the ones that will be most likely to sell to another chain or independent, she says.

Southwest Supermarkets bought the seven stores in one transaction, which allowed the company to win out over bidders just looking to purchase individual sites. There's no word from Southwest Supermarkets will hit the market.

Those sites unable to attract attention from other chains will more than likely be converted into non-retail uses, Butterworth says. Other like product has successfully been converted into call centers, charter schools and medical offices. The facilities generally have sufficient parking to handle just about any new configuration, she says. "It's so early in the cycle, it's a little difficult to tell what type of uses will and won't work, and how it will affect the smaller shops," she says. "Most of those are on high-traffic streets in densely packed areas. Some of the small shops may survive without having the grocery store anchor.