Fresh & Easy closing stores as it looks to become 'fresh food convenience store'
Fresh & Easy closing stores as it looks to become 'fresh food convenience store'
Fresh & Easy is reportedly closing at least 50 stores in California, Arizona and Nevada as it pursues a new business model. Remaining stores will see some changes, as Fresh & Easy is working with ADMI, the firm behind the design of the Apple Store, to design the Fresh & Easy store of the future -- a concept that the company believes represents the future of convenience retail and puts Fresh & Easy into a category of one: a fresh food convenience store.
"Fresh & Easy has spent much of the past year-and-a-half since transitioning to new ownership transforming into a new business focused on delivering a new vision of modern convenience," according to Brendan Wonnacott, company spokesman. In October of 2013 Fresh & Easy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and subsequently sold its stores to the Yucaipa Cos. "This transformation was always going to be a challenge but the company has accomplished several major initiatives, including a massive renovation project and re-launch in Las Vegas with an all-new fresh food concept," he said.
According to a company statement, Fresh & Easy is now in a better position to rationalize its store base and divest locations that do not meet the criteria of Fresh & Easy’s model of modern convenience. "This move allows the company to redeploy capital into development and growth, including a 3,000- to 5,000-square-foot store to provide a higher level of convenience and greater density," Wonnacott said.
In March the company rolled out a new e-commerce Click & Collect service in Las Vegas, which will serve as a test for a wider rollout.
The company said it has also put innovation at the forefront of the transformation of its food manufacturing business, building a successful third-party business model out of its Riverside commissary facilities.