What Will Be The Fate Of Fresh & Easy?
In a piece entitled,Tesco Uses Poor Economy As Excuse For Fresh & Easy Pullback, we made the case that the media had been too accepting of Tescos claim that it was slowing its US expansion due to the state of the economy. That assertion brought some interesting feedback. One of the trades marketing experts put it this way:I wanted to add a few comments to yours regarding Fresh & Easy and the affect the slow economy may have had on their expansion plans. At a recent panel of five chain executives held here at the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas Convention earlier this month, most agreed that the economy is affecting HOW shoppers shop: e.g., less trips, larger packs, less luxury items, more private label, etc. Back to basics seems to be the watchword. Having seen Fresh & Easy stores in our own back yard, it seems that while they focus on private label, their offerings are neither value-priced nor sexy enough to attract the strapped consumer. Trader Joes, in contrast, continues
