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Fresh & Easy opened its 62nd US "neighborhood market" this morning in Manhattan Beach which began with a press conference and store tours and a ribbon cutting ceremony before the waiting crowds descended upon the grocery store to fill their carts. (More story after the jump!)
F&E has been the subject of scrutiny lately; from the customers who were displeased with the first stores' bland decor and who had trouble discerning the philosophy of the company (its parent is Tesco, the UK-based mega-grocer) to members of a strong opposition movement who are boycotting the stores to those speculating if a recent slow-down in growth was due to fledgling sales.
The resolve, however, of Fresh & Easy seems firm, and they stressed today the value of the input of their customers (through emails, in-store comment cards, and exit interviews) which helped steer them towards re-styling the stores somewhat to add warmth and to communicate their message of quality, value, and friendliness. Now the walls are bathed in warm colors with blurbs about their core company beliefs, such as "we believe in honest low prices" and signage in sections articulate their compliance with the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch program, and their food's lack of trans fats. They've also upped the quantity of prepared foods available for purchase, as part of the 250 new items they've created since opening their first 5 stores here in November 2007.
In his remarks to the crowd today, Fresh & Easy CEO Tim Mason mentioned that their US stores "reflect literally the socially demographics of the neighborhoods" in which they are situated, and that many of their stores' employees live in the same neighborhood in which they work. He added that Fresh & Easy exists because "everyone--that means everyone"--wants high quality food at affordable prices available all in one store that's close to their home. Mason also announced that a Fresh & Easy will have a location in South Los Angeles, an area that is under-served in terms of fresh, healthy, and affordable food (and over-saturated with fast food).
The next Fresh & Easy stores to open soon will be: Fountain Valley on July 16 and Pico Rivera on the 30th, with stores at Vanowen and Sepulveda and at Palos Verdes and Western, and in the City of Industry to open later this summer. You can use this map to find the location nearest you.
Please note that Fresh & Easy has a no-photography policy in its stores, and LAist took these images as part of the press event. A press rep for F&E explained that they prefer the employees to focus on serving customers and not on people taking pictures or trying to report on the stores. Don't be surprised if you're asked to put your camera away!
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Eh. It's not any cheaper than other grocery stores, has an extremely limited selection and their 'Fresh' produce expires the moment you take it off of the shelf.
actually, Emoney, it's definitely cheaper than other grocery stores, from snacks to produce to packaged meals. i have never shopped there (not one close to my house) but was astonished at the prices. i can't speak to the produce, but i know the company took some dings for it lately, and i suspect this is part of the "re-vamping" strategy.
I don't quite get why Fresh & Easy inspires so much love and hate. Yeah, they sound like a big bad corporation, but are they worse than other big bad corporations (like Ralphs and Vons)?
I don't think their snazzy graphics make them either fabulous or hypocritical (those that think the use of the color green indicates Earth-friendly policies need to be a little more ad-savvy). But I do like their prices. So I guess I'm in the neutral minority.
It's not just the produce... it is also their packaged items like hummus, chicken, soups, etc. I can never find anything of that ilk on the shelves that isn't expiring in the next few days either.
It is too bad because I like a lot of what they carry and it is definitely cheaper than regular grocery stores... more like Trader Joe's type prices.
Understand there was union picketing at that Fresh & Easy opening today. There's lots of coverage about it and about Fresh & Easy in general in this blog:
www.freshneasybuzz.blogspot.com
One of the stories also talks about the union doing a leaflet drop to houses all over the neighbrohood a couple days before the store opened.
Yes, there was picketing (in fact, the F&E Buzz blog used my pic of some protesters!) and they were yelling above the applause and during all the speeches. Their signage said things like "I won't shop at Fresh & Easy" and equated F&E to Wal-mart, mostly because of parent company Tesco, which takes a lot of heat internationally for their business practices. But what I could hear them yelling was: "How about healthcare for employees?" and "How about a living wage?" which baffled us in the crowd, including the store employees, because they make $10/hour, are guaranteed a minimum of 20hrs/week, at which level they are eligible for healthcare that's 75% paid for by the company, along with a matching 401k program and quarterly bonuses. I can't speak to the other Tesco-based allegations, but they are very dedicated and focused in their efforts. One of them was wearing a Food for Less employee name tag, which I found amusing.
Rizzo-curiously enough this new f&e is in the same complex as a trader joe's! we'll see how they fare.
I'm going to trek out to an f&e to shop to see if you guys are right about the produce and products. If you haven't been lately I'm wondering if that was part of the information they gathered from customers and have worked to improve. I'll let you know!
I'm still waiting for the one in the Valley to open!
Lol...I understand that $10 an hour is better then some other jobs, but that does not mean it is a living wage.
Their health care is pretty good, but it can improve, I dont really have a lot to say about that.
One question though....you said the employees are guarenteed a minimum of 20 hours? Who enforces this? Is it just a verbal guarentee or is there actually a contract stating the minimum hours? All I saw was a company brochure stating "we intend to schedule at least 20 hours per week". An intention is not a guarentee.
I don't know. I just think that for being the 3rd largest company in the world, they could offer a lot more (we all know how expensive it is to live here in California).
Hi, I am a sutdent studying MSC Marketing at University of Birmingham(England).
Now I am working on my dissertation which is about Fresh&Easy in America.
Hope you can help me to do the questionnaire, please.
Here is the link to the questionnaire which will only be used as an academic research.
http://www.my3q.com/home2/234/jjessie0526/68302.phtml
Thank you very very much for your kindness!!
Jessie
Hi, I am a sutdent studying MSC Marketing at University of Birmingham(England).
Now I am working on my dissertation which is about Fresh&Easy in America.
Hope you can help me to do the questionnaire, please.
Here is the link to the questionnaire which will only be used as an academic research.
http://www.my3q.com/home2/234/jjessie0526/68302.phtml
Thank you very very much for your kindness!!
Jessie