PHOENIX -- Tesco Plc officially announced yesterday that its new U.S. chain of small-footprint grocery stores will be called "Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets." They also formally revealed the new concept's logo during an event hosted by the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.
"Our company has enjoyed strong success in countries throughout Europe and Asia, and we are excited to bring that success to America," said Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market CEO Tim Mason. "We believe that the Greater Phoenix region is an excellent place to begin that journey."[image-nocss]
The company is focusing on the Greater Phoenix area, as well as Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego, and stores will begin to open later in the year, it said. It chose the Greater Phoenix area for its high population growth and the strong potential of its expanding market, it added
Twenty sites in the Greater Phoenix area have already been secured and additional locations are being researched. Each of the neighborhood markets will be roughly 10,000 square feet in sizeintentionally smaller than the usual supermarket in order to give customers a faster, easier shopping experience.
Tesco also officially unveiled the U.S. venture's new logocombining a clock face, signifying convenience, with an apple stem, representing the concept's planned focus on prepared meals and saladsalong with the words "fresh & easy" in white set against a green background (pictured), as had been previously reported.
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market already employs 150 people at its headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., and expects to create more than 2,500 new jobs once stores begin opening later this year, it said.
"The Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market format is designed to draw customers back to their local neighborhoods by offering high quality, fresh and nutritious food at affordable prices," said Mason. The format is the result of extensive customer research in local U.S. markets combined with the learnings from Tesco's Express format that it operates, with more than 1,000 stores in seven countries, serving approximately 10 million customers every week. "We are passionate about being a good neighbor and a good employer," said Mason. "We will recruit locally and play an active role in the neighborhoods where our stores are located."
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is dedicated to environmentally-friendly business practices, the company said. It recently announced the installation of a solar panel roofing system at its distribution center that is currently under construction in Riverside, Calif. At 500,000 square feet, the $13 million project is the largest roof-mounted solar installation in California, and possibly the world, it said. At the store level, waste will be minimized by recycling or reusing all shipping materials, and energy consumption will be reduced with modified fridges and lighting.
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