Losses More Than Double at Fresh & Easy

[lvkewlkid]

The one at Silverado Ranch/Bermuda seems to be increasingly busy...
I have passed by the one at Las Vegas Blvd North and Lake Mead a few times and it even seems packed at noontime...

I dont know about some of the other locations as they have opened so many Fresh and Easy's here...

Another VONS closed at Pecos/Russell and it is rumored that the ones on either West Cheyenne or West Lone Mountain will be closed next, however, very strangely, they are opening a new one soon on Blue Diamond near Rainbow...

I believe another Albertsons closed in the last month, but I can't remember the location...

Yes, I have seen Smith's expanding their product line recently at a few of their stores, they are trying to take all the business from the Albertsons/Vons closures...

The Albertsons that I was referencing to in the previous post that just closed was Jones/Lake Mead...

i apologize for being a little off-topic, but VONS at Decatur and Meadows has just closed as well...

[storewanderer]

Most of these Vons closures are in the older neighborhoods it seems?

[lvkewlkid]

Both Nellis/Sahara and Pecos/Russell are pretty new Vons locations that have closed down...Both stores are surrounded both by many old homes and many new homes...

Stephanie and Sunset is in a newer area, although an older store, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's another location that closes soon, they haven't been taking care of it in the last 5 years at least...

Eastern/Desert Inn, Lamb/Charleston, Decatur/Meadows, Las Vegas Blvd N/Cheyenne, Lamb/Charleston are all Vons that have closed that are surrounded by older neighborhoods...

[krogerclerk]

In one year's time, Albertson's/Lucky's has fallen from being #1 in Vegas market share, to #3. # 1 is Walmart followed by Smith's at #2, but combined with Food 4 Less' market share, Smith's becomes #1, while Von's is #5 or #4 in the combined Smiths/F4L analysis.

I doubt that Fresh & Easy will see little benefit from SVU/Albertson's and Von's store closings, Smith's and Walmart Neighborhood Markets likely benefit from that. I think consumers really don't know how to categorize F&E, is it a supermarket, take out deli or a convenience store. As such other niche players such as Trader Joes and Whole Foods are its primary competitors. Smith's weakness is perishibles, areas that have seen some improvement in recent years, but Von's/Safeway is viewed as a superior perishible operation to Smith's, though that is primarily an image based on the past for both chains.

Fresh&Easy's focus on carrying Tesco's private label is another factor in F&E's poor performance. Private label handily outsells name brands in the UK and the rest of Europe, but in the US, national brands are still overall stronger than in Europe. In the eastern US, store brands tend to capture 33% of sales and 25% in the west, so it's likely that Eastern markets would have been a better test market for F&E than the West Coast.

[Alpha8472]

The Vons at Decatur and Meadows is just down the street from a Walmart Supercenter. I can see why they closed it. Also there is a Target directly across the street from that Vons. Target has increased its selection of food in recent years.

The Vons at Nellis and Sahara was across the street from a Food4Less. That closure was no surprise.

Fresh and Easy does seem to be limited in selection. People get frustrated that they don't carry everything a person needs for one stop shopping like a full sized supermarket. People would rather drive to a full sized supermarket. Fresh and Easy simply is not prepared for American consumers who have access to cars and are able to bypass their limited selection stores. In the UK, people have fewer cars and are forced to shop at whatever small store is convenient to them. Fresh and Easy is much more like a convenience store due to its size and limited selection. However, Fresh and Easy has better prices than a convenience store. The low prices are why they are losing so much money.

[klkla]

About Fresh & Easy in general, I think they got the concept right and it should have worked. Where they went wrong was with the execution. I have been to three of their stores and they were all poorly merchandised and disorganized.

The staff looked sloppy, wearing their street clothes with just a shirt for a uniform. They were not trained well and seemed not sure what they should be doing (stocking the shelves with merchandise would have been a good start at all three locaitons).

This format can succeed but they need to do a lot better job of the day to day operations of the stores.

[storewanderer]

When I asked for help finding an item at some FE somewhere in SoCal west of Los Angeles in December across from a Pavilions I was told by the guy up front that he could not leave the register area. He was sloppy in jeans and a shirt and had I not watched him approve an alcohol sale for a customer I would not have known he worked there. I found a second employee in the kitchen part of the store who was also unable to leave her post. I asked if they had anyone else who could help me since I was not finding the item (I believe it was out of stock or I was blind). The item was bottled Tejava tea which I'm pretty sure they sell (sold?).

There were abandoned stocking projects in the grocery, produce, and perishable areas. The perishable cases did not look overly clean nor did the products look very good.

My visit to a Phoenix FE in January yieled similar poor conditions, even more out of stocks, a similar lack of staffing, but more customers.

This concept is so poorly run that I barely care to even walk in. I hate the sterile, industrial feel of these stores. I cannot stand the horrible presentation of the merchandise. Driving by and counting the number of cars in the lot (which can easily be done with one hand in most cases) is enough for me!

[storewanderer]

I thought the Henderson Vons on Stephanie closed. It is still open? That place looked done to me; no traffic, dated interior...

Reminded me a lot of the 65,000 1996 SWY here in Reno that I shop at sometimes.

[lvkewlkid]

I thought the Henderson Vons on Stephanie closed. It is still open? That place looked done to me; no traffic, dated interior...

Reminded me a lot of the 65,000 1996 SWY here in Reno that I shop at sometimes.

Maybe it is closed, I havent been in that area in awhile, but I'll have to ask my brother who works for Vons...

That Vons has been looking so dated and empty for years now...its about time it closed, if it isn't already...the Panda Express left years ago and there's a turnstyle to enter the store too...

[lvkewlkid]

When I asked for help finding an item at some FE somewhere in SoCal west of Los Angeles in December across from a Pavilions I was told by the guy up front that he could not leave the register area. He was sloppy in jeans and a shirt and had I not watched him approve an alcohol sale for a customer I would not have known he worked there. I found a second employee in the kitchen part of the store who was also unable to leave her post. I asked if they had anyone else who could help me since I was not finding the item (I believe it was out of stock or I was blind). The item was bottled Tejava tea which I'm pretty sure they sell (sold?).

There were abandoned stocking projects in the grocery, produce, and perishable areas. The perishable cases did not look overly clean nor did the products look very good.

My visit to a Phoenix FE in January yieled similar poor conditions, even more out of stocks, a similar lack of staffing, but more customers.

This concept is so poorly run that I barely care to even walk in. I hate the sterile, industrial feel of these stores. I cannot stand the horrible presentation of the merchandise. Driving by and counting the number of cars in the lot (which can easily be done with one hand in most cases) is enough for me!

They must be doing better in Las Vegas because they all wear aprons, its very clean, and I always see multiple people working the store at all hours, one or two at the checkstands, 1 for the chef counter, and a few for stocking...