Fresh & Easy stores could soon expire





ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK—This Fresh & Easy grocery in Oak Park is one of nine area stores that could be closed in the near future.

ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK—This Fresh & Easy grocery in Oak Park is one of nine area stores that could be closed in the near future.

Fresh & Easy stores are bracing for a possible shut-down due to sluggish grocery sales in the U.S. and abroad.

Nine Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets in Ventura County are affected. The stores are in Oak Park, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard and Ventura.

British supermarket giant Tesco, the Fresh & Easy owner, reportedly plans to exit the U.S. market following five years of disappointing sales. Tesco owns 200 stores in the western U.S., including California.

Brendan Wonnacott, director of corporate affairs in El Segundo, said Fresh & Easy will conduct a “strategic review” of company operations.

According to reports, the options being considered include selling the business, partnering with another corporation to revive the grocery line, or closing the stores altogether.

Following an October report that new capital in Fresh & Easy was to be “tightly constrained,” Tesco announced Dec. 5 that while business in the United Kingdom had improved, sales in the United States dropped.

Local Fresh & Easy shoppers aren’t happy with the possible departure.

“I’d be disappointed if the store closed,” said Barbara Schwarz of Oak Park. “I like to shop local and I like that it’s easy.”

For now, Wonnacott said Tesco remains committed to its customer base. He feels gratified that the store brought “something new and something exciting” to the shopping experience.

“It is business as usual in our stores and we look forward to bringing our neighbors the same delicious, wholesome and affordable food they have come to expect from Fresh & Easy,” Wonnacott said.

Loyal customers took the news hard.

“It’s a shame,” said Thousand Oaks resident Kendall Bradford who frequently shops at the Chatsworth store near his job. On Sunday, he was mulling over a range of grocery options at the Oak Park market.

“ I come here because the prices are good and the selection is good,” he said.

Bradford wondered whether the self check-out system Fresh & Easy is known for made some customers feel uncomfortable.

“You have to work for it a little more, but I’m from England originally so I don’t have a problem with it,” he said.

Bradford said he likes the store’s sales and promotions. Sometimes they sell loaves of Italian bread for just 25 cents.

Tasty, prepared foods were another hallmark of the company.

“They have good stuff,” said Westlake Village shopper Bill Dinino. “I come here for specific items, mostly produce and readymade (meals).

“We have our own brand,” Wonnacott said. “The Fresh & Easy brand has no artificial colors or flavors, no artificial preservatives and no trans-fat.”

“Our focus remains on our people and our customers,” Wonnacott said.

While core customers remained loyal, the prospect for revenue growth became stale.

“It is now clear that Fresh & Easy will not deliver acceptable shareholder returns on an appropriate time frame in its current form,” the company said in a statement.


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