A flurry of stories points to the possibility Boise-based Winco Foods could expand its northwest presence in old Shopko locations.
- KEZI-TV reported Winco met with city officials in Eugene, OR about a vacant Shopko location in that city. The Register-Gaurd newspaper also reported the possibility, which would give Winco three stores in the greater Eugene area. Winco did not comment to either outlet.
- In Wenatchee, WA, Winco submitted plans to remodel the Shopko store in that city.
- A radio station owned by Townsquare Media in Missoula posted a poorly sourced “rumor” about a Winco store in that city. The story and the outlet are not credible.
Two of the three Boise-area Shopko stores remain for lease, including Broadway, and Nampa. A listing for the Fairview Ave. store is not currently active on Loopnet. The status of the Fairview store was not immediately clear.
[Shopko is leaving SE Boise. What are the odds of a Target in its place?]
The Nampa and Fairview Shopko stores are immediately adjacent to Winco making them unlikely candidates for a similar strategy. The Broadway location stands just 2.2 miles from Winco’s store on W. Myrtle St.
Winco currently operates more than 125 large-format stores in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California. It started with a single, since-closed store, known as Waremart on Overland Rd. in Boise in 1967. (And, Macklemore once hung out with his grandma in a Winco.)
Permit filings indicate Spirit Halloween will open in the former Shopko spaces at 2655 S. Broadway Ave. in Boise and 8105 W. Fairview Ave. in Boise. Michelle Heart of Lite-FM first reported the Spirit openings.
A solar company purchased the large former distribution center south of Interstate 84.
