Modesto’s long-empty Raley’s and Save Mart sites finally will be filled. Who’s moving in?

Two long-empty Modesto sites, which previously housed popular grocery store chains, finally will get a new tenant.

Vallarta Supermarkets, a 54-store Mexican grocery chain throughout California, soon will occupy the space in the Century Center shopping center that onced was a Raley’s, as well as the former Save Mart on Pelandale Avenue near Sisk Road.

Raley’s closed in 2012 after the location was deemed underperforming, but the company continued to pay the lease in Century Center through 2018, preventing another grocer from moving in.

Save Mart on Pelandale closed in early 2010, moving into a larger space less than a quarter mile down the road.

The sites have been unoccupied since each store’s closure. That will change by early 2025.

Vallarta Supermarkets offers more than an average grocery store

Think Whole Foods Market meets Mexico and you get an idea of what shopping at Vallarta Supermarkets is like.

Store cleanliness and fresh foods are part of the Gonzalez family’s core values, according to a statement from Vallarta. It aims to “treat each customer as if they are the most important person in the world, because they are.”

Vallarta was founded by the Gonzalez family in 1985 as a carniceria in Van Nuys, selling traditional cuts of meats popular in Mexico. The founders all were butchers, and as new family members enter the business, they start in the meat department to ensure that legacy, according to the Vallarta website.

The carniceria in Vallarta supermarkets today is run by professional butchers who prepare meat cut to order.

The store has a department called La Cocina — a ready-made hot food kitchen that offers breakfast, lunch and dinner items including chilaquiles, tacos and meat plates. Party trays are also available.

At least one of the Modesto stores will have a tortilleria, where tortillas are made throughout the day, according to a statement by Vallarta.

Tamales are made year-round in the store and customers can also purchase fresh masa in a variety of flavors for a make-at-home option.

Vallarta has a juice bar, La Isla, with aguas frescas, fresh-pressed fruit and vegetable juices and wellness shots.

The Cremeria, Vallarta’s version of a deli, has a wide selection of house-made cremas, Latin American cheeses, house-made chorizos, salsas, and pre-made or made-to-order guacamole, among other items.

Several varieties and flavors of Latin American breads, as well as sweets like conchas and churros, are made in the bakery. Custom cakes can also be ordered for any occasion.

There will be a seafood department with eight freshly made ceviche options, a grocery section, produce, flowers and potted plants, and a candy shop.

When will the Vallarta stores open?

The Gonzalez family plans to open the Pelandale store by the end of 2024. The Century Center store, which will be the bigger of the two, has a projected opening date of spring 2025.

The opening of the two stores will bring 300 to 400 jobs to Modesto, according to a statement from Vallarta. Jobs include bakers, cashiers, cooks, cake decorators, stockers and more.

The business hours are generally the same chainwide, and the Gonzalez family said the Modesto stores will likely be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The kitchen and other specialty departments will not close earlier than the store does.