fresh&easy in Compton - 100 days on

The opening of our store in Compton last February was one of those very special moments that will stay with me for a very long time - we were made to feel so welcome.

100 days later, it's great to see that it's proving a simple point.

Although it was the first new grocery store to be built there in a generation, it's performing just like any of our other stores.

It's attracting a broad mix of customers, and it's business is being built on fresh foods - 10 of its 20 top selling products are fresh produce, some organic, and more than 75% of its sales are our own brand, all of which has no artificial colors or flavors, no added transfat, and only uses preservatives when absolutely necessary.

As I've said before, in our experience, if you offer fresh, wholesome foods at prices everyone can afford, in a clean environment with friendly service, people will shop with you.

Compton again demonstrates the point.

And that, of course, is how it should be.....

Save on gas at fresh & easy

No, we don't sell gas at fresh&easy.

But looking at the feedback we receive, we clearly save people money on gas.

How can that be?

The explanation goes right to the heart of why fresh&easy exists.

Right back at the beginning, when we started talking to people about food shopping, we found they wanted to shop in their neighborhood, preferably in one store. But they felt compelled to shop in a number of stores, often some distance away - to seek out fresher, more wholesome and authentic food, as well as to make their budget go further.

So they helped us design fresh&easy, to give people what they wanted - fresh, wholesome, authentic food, alongside their favorite brands, all at honest low prices, right there in their neighborhood.

Of course, our customers save money just by buying their food from us.

But I've been struck by how many emails we've had from customers, amazed at the time and money they're saving, because they no longer have to drive around to so many stores.

Good for their pockets in these harder times, but also, by shopping locally and saving on gas, good for the environment.

A win-win if ever I saw one.

And that, as ever, is how it should be.....