It appears that the LA County Planning Commission has approved the construction of a building at the corner of Lake and Calaveras to house a Fresh and Easy and a Rite Aid.
Presumably the Rite Aid will close their Altadena Drive location. Some details of the plan come from information distributed to nearby residents as part of an effort to obtain a variance to sell liquor at that location. A copy is attached below. The cover letter mentions that they'll attempt to set up a community meeting/workshop to discuss the details.
Some interesting notes about Fresh and Easy...
1) CEO Terry Leahy: 'We Must Go Green'
"If consumers are able to purchase lower-carbon products and services, they will reward the businesses that produce these products."
http://freshneasybuzz.blogspot.com/2008/09/tesco-plc-ceo-terry-leahy-we-must-go.html
2) Trusting LA British Food Invasion (2007)
"It’s a multinational corporation selling food. Not necessarily bad, just not a 'Neighborhood Market.'”
Note comment from fellow Altadenan Steve Lamb near the end of the page...
"On the economic side Tesco has figured out that having a small store, small parking lot, no services, minimal wages and no benefits, provides them with the least expensive platform from which to sell food."
http://www.laprogressive.com/2007/11/05/trusting-la-british-food-invasion/
3) Fresh & Easy's research not deep enough
“We may have assumed that certain elements of the Fresh & Easy brand would do the work for us and we would not have to go down and dirty on price. That may have been a mistake.”
http://www.foodinternational.net/articles/news/1597/fresh-easys-research-not-deep-enough.html
F&E is in real trouble throughout the Southland. The supermarket industry is crowing that its the small store size. I respectfully disagree. I have shopped throughout Europe in stores that are less than 2000 sq ft and have EVERYTHING. Its amazing.
The real issue here is that they have a small footprint, but they "feel" like a indifferent multinational corporation when you walk in the door. There is NOTHING local in sight anyplace. Produce is imported, even when its harvest time locally. The staff does not offer to help and when one asks for help they are strangely bland as human beings. Its as if their anti depressant dose is 12% too high.
The one thing Trader Joe's does really really well in addition to low prices for the quality purchased is the incorrect perception that you are shopping at a local small neighborhood store. They have a bit of an odd nautical feel that it seems no corporation would continue. Their shops are each laid out differently and carry a slightly different mix of product. This is brilliant!
Another interesting chain and one that is killing F&E is Fammia! its like a way way down market small trader joes where you can buy anything. I was attending a five day film festival last year in Hollywood and ate breakfast and lunch at the Fammia! everyday. It was cheap and it was good.
Farm Fresh was a really good market. Par Aria gave us what we all said we wanted. had he not been burdened with problems by teh developer he'd still be there, and refining his store.
King Ranch, the new store on Ventura and Fair Oaks is interesting. A excellent bakery and a interesting produce section.
Co Ops are rare in Southern California, even historically. They were very common in Northern California and there are many today that I have shopped in in New Mexico. They are all different and INDIVIDUAL. VERY VERY individual. Its FUN to shop in them.
Fresh and Easy has a good footprint, but the selection quality and custome service need serious work. So does the advertising.