Hey, Tesco, Where's the Organic Food?

Includes 2 updates: March 6 & 17, 2008...

I visited the Fresh & Easy store at 7380 S. Eastern @ Warm Springs (early 2008).

New store, but very sterile, impersonal - or should I say: the personality of a cold empty storage facility.

I found almost no organic food at all.

Couldn't bring myself to buy anything. And was glad to leave.

I think the only reason for me ever going to another Fresh & Easy is just to report if anything has changed.

ALSO:...

1. What Secrets about Tesco did the BBC discover?
2. Why have Tesco's Fresh & Easy store openings been far from easy?
   

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UPDATE - March 6, 2008 -- As I was returning from Sedona, I visited the new Fresh & Easy store in Henderson at 1400 S. Boulder Hwy.

This store seems brighter and less dreary than the one on S. Eastern (see above). And I was surprised by the selection of organic food.

Only a few organic fruits & vegetables. But I did find organic coffee, corn chips, milk, yogurt, eggs, cheese and some other things. Also some meats labeled 'natural'.

What was most surprising was Amy's products with very low prices.

• Amy's Frozen Pizza: $5.94 (about $6.69-$7.99 elsewhere).
• Cheese Enchiladas: $2.54 (about $3.59-$3.890 elsewhere). For more perspective, these Enchiladas were priced at $5.29 in Sedona, AZ.

Unfortunately, I got the impression that low prices for Amy's products was a temporary. I'd be surprised if they were still in the store at these prices in 6 months.

So...Fresh & Easy a replacement for Trader Joe's or Whole Foods? I doubt it.

But they might become a 7-11-like last-minute shopping option.

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UPDATE - March 17, 2008 -- Visited both stores today. Prices of Amy's Frozen Pizza still $5.94. Price for Cheese Enchiladas has gone from $2.54 to $3.39, compared to $3.59-$3.89 elsewhere).

What Supermarket Secrets Is Tesco Keeping?

Some Americans don't know that Tesco -- currently opening Fresh & Easy mini-supermarkets in the U.S. -- is one of the 4 big food providers in the U.K.

Apparently, some people in the U.K. have a bone to pick with Tesco, no pun intended.

These 2 shows -- Supermarket Secrets 1 & 2, produced by the BBC -- summarize the issues very well. And open up a range of questions about food production in the U.S., too.

Check out the first 3 minutes of Part 2. (Not my fault if you get hooked!)

Supermarket Secrets, Part 1 - deals with Factory Farming, chickens, and general quality of supermarket food.



Supermarket Secrets, Part 2 - deals with Cows milk, food standards, food waste, pesticides, food globalization, and loss of quality of our produce.

Hey, Tesco...How Are those 'Fresh & Easy' Stores Working for Ya?

Watching food-giant Tesco launch their 'Fresh & Easy' stores has certainly been entertaining.

Soon after the U.K.-based Tesco announced their $2-billion five-year plan to expand into the U.S. market, Wal-Mart -- the world's largest retailer -- announced they had hired David Wild, a former international managing director of Tesco, "to come up with plans to torpedo the British group's debut in America."

Apparently, Tesco had a pretty good idea. And good ideas draw competition.

Tesco's concept covered all the politically correct bases...

• They planned to heavily promote organic produce and their 'ready meals' (very popular in the U.K.) to "urban shoppers" in the U.S.
  

• Their private brand would have no artificial colors or flavors, no added trans fat, and minimal preservatives.

• Food would be delivered daily in environmentally friendly trailers, and date-coded to assure customers that the food was really Fresh & Easy.

• They'd create neighborhood-oriented mini-supermarkets that met LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards - meaning environmentally friendly GREEN buildings.
  

• They'd recycle and re-use shipping and display materials.

• And they invested in California's largest solar roof installation on their distribution center in Riverside.

Of course, this strategy also put them in almost direct competition with two more 800-pound gorillas: Whole Foods (which just gobbled up Wild Oats Markets) and Trader Joe's (which is a virtually unstoppable marketing machine).

Then in October, 2007, BusinessWeek contributed the following:

"But before the first outlet is even open, local unions and community activists are pressuring the company (Tesco) to live up to its promises—including paying decent wages, minimizing environmental impact, and locating stores in underserved areas."

Oops!

And...

"In August, the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College took Tesco to task for only locating 10% of the stores announced so far in poor neighborhoods."

Fast forward to the present with 50 Fresh & Easy stores open in California, Nevada & Arizona -- how are they doing?

A February 24, 2008 post at Fast Food Maven says Tesco sales at Fresh & Easy have been very disappointing so far.

"Prevor — a well-known supermarket industry insider and food writer — estimated that each store is averaging weekly sales of $50,000. That’s well below the goal of $200,000 projected initially by Tesco, he said. His data is based on dozens of interviews with Fresh & Easy managers, customers and suppliers in California, Arizona and Las Vegas."

Trade mag Perishable Pundit has a series of articles analyzing Tesco's challenges & problems in America.

The BBC produced 2 shows about Tesco & 3 other supermarket chains in the U.K. You might need a strong stomach for some of it.