Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Opens First Six Stores in Southern California

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market today opened its doors for the first time to customers in Southern California. Stores opened in Los Angeles, Anaheim, Arcadia, Hemet, West Covina and Upland.

Fresh & Easy has announced 122 store locations to date, with 50 scheduled to open by the end of February 2008, in Southern California, Phoenix and Las Vegas. The company plans to open 200 stores by the end of next year. Fresh & Easy's parent company, Tesco, is the third largest retail company in the world and is investing $2 billion dollars over 5 years in its U.S. debut.

"Based on extensive research, we've built a store from the ground up for the American consumer. Fresh & Easy is a modern grocery store for the modern American," said Tim Mason, Fresh & Easy CEO. "We've found customers piece together their weekly shopping trip by shopping many different stores, so we put together a format to simplify customer's lives."

Fresh & Easy's private brand has no artificial colors or flavors, no added trans fats, and only uses preservatives where absolutely necessary. The company also offers a range of national brands and authentic products. All food is delivered daily and date coded so customers know it is fresh.

Fresh & Easy is committed to opening stores in all types of neighborhoods, including those that have been traditionally underserved. The company has already delivered on this promise. For example, in Los Angeles County, Fresh & Easy plans to open stores from Hollywood Boulevard to Compton. Fresh & Easy believes everyone deserves fresh, wholesome food at affordable prices.

Each Fresh & Easy store employs approximately 20 to 30 people and nearly 1,000 people applied for 170 positions in the first six stores that opened today. Some other highlights from the recruiting and staffing of these stores include:

-- All store employees are working over 20 hours and are eligible for comprehensive healthcare including medical, prescription drugs, dental and vision coverage. -- Entry-level positions start at $10 an hour in California with a quarterly bonus of up to 10%. -- Over 50% of store employees live within 3 miles of the stores, in the local neighborhoods.

"One of the first things we did in the US is talk to potential employees. We asked them what they most wanted in an employer and what made a company a great place to work," said Mason. "Above all, people told us they wanted to be treated with respect and that's what we set out to do. We listened; therefore, we're offering competitive pay, starting at $10 per hour in California, comprehensive healthcare and other benefits for all our employees."

As part of the company's promise to be a good neighbor and steward of the environment, Fresh & Easy has committed to build LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings, recycle or reuse all shipping and display materials and use environmentally friendly trailers to transport food. The company also invested in California's largest solar roof installation on its distribution center in Riverside.

Fresh & Easy will also open stores in San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix by the end of the year.

About Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is a local, neighborhood store committed to providing customers with fresh, wholesome food at affordable prices.

Fresh & Easy is a company of Tesco, the UK's largest retailer and one of the world's leading international retailers. Tesco operates over 3,200 stores across 12 countries and employing more than 400,000 people.

Tesco's success is due in part to delivering a consistently strong customer offering on every visit and every transaction, and by focusing on the company's core purpose: to create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty.

More information regarding Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market can be found at http://www.freshandeasy.com.

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market

CONTACT: Brendan Wonnacott of Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market,
+1-916-554-3466, cell, +1-310-384-3833

Web site: http://www.freshandeasy.com/