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Fresh & Easy to add 250 new food items
May 12th, 2008, 10:52 am · 18 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer
Fresh & Easy markets in the West Coast, including those in Orange County, are headed for a food makeover.
Responding to shoppers who’ve complained about the ho-hum assortment of groceries in Fresh & Easy stores, Tesco said Monday that it will add about 250 new food items in its neighborhood markets over the next few months.
Analysts and industry experts have also said Fresh & Easy needs to revamp stores to improve lackluster sales.
Some of the new Fresh & Easy products include more freshly prepared meals, new juices and brewed teas, soy and goat yogurt and expanded offerings of ready-to-grill meats, the company said Monday.
The meat and deli aisle, for example, will feature a “mixed grill” pack for $9.99. It contains four sausages, four beef patties, four chicken thighs and four chicken drumsticks.
Items will hit stores over the next three months. But, some markets h
ave already added new products, including a Fresh & Easy store in Orange. I spotted the mixed grill item and various new ready-to-cook sausage packs over the weekend at my local Orange store. (at right)
While visiting two Orange County Fresh & Easy stores over the weekend, employees and store managers told this undercover shopper that the retailer would be adding more international foods, including British items.
A Fresh & Easy spokesman declined to comment, only stating that more food announcements would be made in the coming weeks.
Other store changes: Fresh & Easy said stores will add brighter colors and better signs guiding customers to particular product areas. More brand messages will also be visible. Many of these changes have already been made at stores in Laguna Hills, Eagle Rock and Arizona, the company said. (at left, Laguna Hills store boasts messages on walls, more colors.)
Fresh and Easy maintains that stores have been performing well. However the chain halted Fresh & Easy openings several weeks ago while it “smoothes out wrinkles” in its new American grocery concept.
Since debuting in the United States in November, the chain has opened 61 stores in California, Arizona and Nevada. On Monday, Fresh & Easy said the first new store to debut after its three-month hiatus will be a Manhattan Beach grocery store on July 2.
Orange County has Fresh & Easy markets in Orange, Laguna Hills, Anaheim, Buena Park, La Habra and Huntington Beach. More are planned in Fountain Valley, Westminster, Fullerton and another in Orange.
Related Fresh & Easy/Tesco stories:
- Tesco CEO: Some want Fresh & Easy to ‘fail’
- Fresh & Easy Buzz: watchdog blogger on British foods coming to Tesco’s American stores
- Fresh & Easy store opening put on hold for 3 months
- Tesco expected to defend Fresh & Easy concept
- Q&A: What’s wrong with Tesco’s Fresh & Easy?
- Comments: Readers rant and rave about Fresh & Easy
- Wal-Mart planning Fresh & Easy copycat
- Fresh & Easy off to rocky start. A look at the first 100 days
- A closer look: What is Tesco’s Fresh & Easy concept?
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I noticed those grill packs. Looked pretty good. Might try it next time. The burgers look meaty and fresh. I really like this store. Hopefully people won’t discover it because I like shopping in the empty store at night.
I like the new “thank you for shopping with us” mural they just added to the Laguna store, pictured above. That’s exactly the type of decor and personality infusion these sterile stores need.
See Tesco, it’s not that hard to have a personality! Keep it up and I may give the Orange store another try after you fix it.
Tesco should have done its market research first. You only get one chance to make a good first impression. My impression was of a boring store where everything in portioned out under plastic. Not my cup of tea. I had hoped to see some English products.
Maybe I’ll go back to check out the new products.
Also, they need to study their demographic, I doubt that many of the Laguna Woods Village denizens will take to the self-check-out-only. Older people want to interact, to see someone, to speak to someone.
They have a nice big Stater brothers just down the block with lower prices, and real people. Not to mention you can squeeze the tomatoes.
I’ve been to the store in Glasell Park and the new ambience looks great! Did you see the stores for Mother’s day? $7.99 Bouquets! They seem and look like they are listening to their customers. Also as has been stated in the press, Fresh and Easy is in a “pause” to tweak their stores. From your report Maven, it looks like there is more to come. Did you think that they would make all these changes in 1 go?
anonymous:
I did think I’d learn about a few more items, than just grilled meats today.
But, I guess decisions are still being made on product assortment.
This is also how F&E works: they dribble out info a little bit at a time…keeps us guessing, and talking…
But, does it keep us shopping?
My family and friends have been talking for years about how we should make a business selling some of the ready to eat meals that Tesco has in England. You can look over their shelves and know you’re going to get an excellent meal without any preparation on your own part. Variety of cultures; English, Italian, Indian, Chinese etc, all excellent. We were excited about Tesco opening stores over here so we could get similar products. What a let down. They’re nothing even close to what they have in England. How difficult would it be to give a supplier the recipe and say “make 200 million of these”? What a wasted opportunity from an American market that would love to have excellent meals just sitting in their freezer ready to go.
I hope they bring Tesco Trifle. I am going to this store over the coming weekend I am SO excited that they are here. I just heard about them and if it is at all like the Tesco Express in England they had better better build one in Irvine!!
Melanie,
It’s nothing like the Tesco Express that is in England. You’re setting yourself up for a disappointment.
How many of you folks thought Fresh & Easy was a British Food Store before your first visit? Just from hearing about it in the press and such?
I never thought I would find anything British in a Fresh and Easy. I vaguely knew they were owned by a British company, but I had no expectation that I would find British food for sale there.
When I go to the Honda dealership, I don’t expect to find a Sushi bar and a Samurai sword display. Similarly, I had no expectation of finding anything British at Fresh and Easy, except for maybe a box of Earl Grey tea in the beverage aisle.
Seeing how sterile and charmless Fresh and Easy turned out to be however, maybe they should have gone with a British theme for their failed stores to try and set them apart and give them a shred of personality.
Hi Nancy, Nobody asked me but! Really like the place prices on staples VERY competitive. Would like to see them have better signage by aisle…Getting them to clear register if you buy alcohol is a pain…other than that like it alot
I never expected Fresh and Easy to be a British food store. I don’t think their marketing ever made mention of that. Sure the press always mentioned that Fresh and Easy is operated by a “British retailing giant” but I didn’t think that meant a British food retailing giant. I thought it meant what the media meant to say: A company based in Britain. I’m with Troy on this, just because their corporate headquarters are in the UK doesn’t mean I think they would sell British food. That’s pretty simple minded actually.
What I did expect from Fresh and Easy was for them to land at least some where close to the hype that was created about their stores prior to opening. According the press coverage of this store, you’d expect that it was the Second Coming and a complete revolution in grocery shopping. Not even close. It’s not really all that fresh or easy. Bagging my own groceries, non-existent employees, shrink-wrapped packaging and prices similar to the regional chains is neither fresh or easy.
Here are a few more suggestions:
A. Remember to IMMEDIATELY grab the customer’s attention & interest by placing tempting fresh produce, flowers, wine & gourmet goodies near the entrance. Put in a few well-placed plants. Make sure the lighting is correct. You have to sell an experience.
B. Place the more pedestrian items at the back of the store.
C. Offer vegetarian fare; including ready to eat/ heat entrees.
D. Have a carry-out area near the entrance to entice the busy office take-out crowd.
E. Add a coffee bar.
F. Have limited bistro style tables & chairs for those who wish to linger.
H. Get rid of the food barracks look of row after row of rectangular shelving and make the place visually appealing with curves and dedicated specialty areas. Do not have all of the shelves of the same height.
I. Do not sell mundane items such as soap and detergent unless they fall into a special category such as being eco-friendly.
J. Consider adding very low volume “mood” music.
K. Forget self-service check-outs & hire hungry college kids instead.
L. Have a theme & purpose-“health” sells.
AV has some very good points. One thing about F&E in Orange is that the entrance of the store is barren, desolate, and empty.. ok all the same meaning here, but the point is it’s complete uninviting as you walk in. Add flowers and other quick grab items there in the entrance.
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[...] Fresh & Easy to add 250 new food items [...]
[...] Fresh & Easy to add 250 new food items [...]
[...] Fresh & Easy to add 250 new food items [...]