talking fresh&easy blog

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Keeping it cool at fresh&easy

As good neighbors we’re always finding thoughtful and innovative ways to reduce our global impact. That’s why all our stores and our Riverside, CA depot are built with energy efficient technology.

This week we announced our commitment to reducing refrigerant greenhouse emissions by joining the EPAs GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership. Just by closely monitoring our refrigeration systems and implementing leak detection & alarm technology, we are able to minimize our impact on climate change, help protect the ozone layer and keep our refrigerant leak rate under 10%; which is well below the industry average of 25%. Cool right?

Here are some other thoughtful ways we’re working to be a good neighbor to the environment.

Cheers,
Gary

Monday, May 18, 2009

following the customer at fresh&easy

"follow the customer" is a phrase we use a lot, to describe the way we do business.

The needs of customers after all are always evolving - think about your own lives - so what could be simpler than just listening to what would help, and then organizing yourself to deliver it. That way, year-in, year-out, your shopping trip is always getting better.

That's exactly what fresh&easy is all about. It was designed by listening to people, and since opening 18 mths ago, it's been evolving on the basis of customer feedback.

A constant request has been for more fresh&easy products, so we continue to innovate in this area. We've recently added, for example, quiche (fresh from our kitchen), pita chips, and gourmet hamburger buns, to name just a few - all of course with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, and no added transfat.

However, as the economic climate has got harder, customers have also been asking for help in making their budgets go further, so we've been organizing ourselves to do just that.

Already, you can count on at least 6 different packs of produce at just 98c every week, to help keep fresh produce affordable, and we've introduced stronger promotions, together with a weekly flyer.

But we've also been asked for more family packs, so these are now starting to come into the stores. The family-sized meals, fresh from our kitchen, are one example we've recently introduced, but you can now get bigger sizes of your favorite detergents and cleaners, and across the store we've many more to come.

On the back of customer feedback on our Buxted meat lines and Taurino, we're also introducing many more new brands over the next few weeks that offer outstanding value - all national brand quality, at unbelievably low prices, and only available at fresh&easy. For example, look out for our Mothers Joy breakfast cereals launching next week.

Finally, we're also adding a few more national brands to our stores, in response to specific requests from customers, to make their shopping trips more complete - Guerrero tortillas are one example.

All this adds up to more than 1000 extra products coming into our stores over the summer. And by organizing ourselves, we can do this without taking anything away - by adding extra shelves, and fine-tuning how we use our space.

So by "following the customer", we end up with a better shopping trip. It's good for us, and it's good for our customers.

And that, surely, is how it should be.....

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Thursday, May 14, 2009

fresh&easy gives back to schools

Last year, we heard a lot from our neighbors, customers and employees about how hard-hit schools have been because of the current economy. So we created a fundraising program called Shop for Schools to help. Today we announced that our first ever Shop for Schools program helped raise over $130,000 for schools in California, Arizona and Nevada!

The school that raised the most money in each state was awarded a $5,000 bonus. We presented the winning schools with their checks today at celebrations we threw at their neighborhood stores. The money raised can go toward anything the schools need most, from art supplies and books to playground equipment. We’re excited to share this video with you of Tim Mason, our CEO, presenting Mountain Meadows Elementary School in Moorpark, CA with a $10,000 donation!



Congratulations to all the participating schools on their fundraising efforts!

Cheers!
~Sallie

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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Sampling at our fresh&easy kitchen table

The Kitchen Table is the heart of our stores and offers customers the opportunity to sample different products and taste our signature dishes.
Scott, a fresh&easy team member, gives a quick overview of what's sampling this week at our Kitchen Table in this short video.



Next time you're in, stop by the Kitchen Table and sample some products. And then of course, be sure to review them at www.freshandeasy.com/KitchenTable. Your review may even be featured on our homepage!

Happy sampling!
Gary

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Thursday, May 7, 2009

fresh&easy opens 120th store

We just opened our 120th store at Durango Dr. & El Capitan Way in Las Vegas and our new neighbors stormed in just after the ribbon cutting! Here are some photos…

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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

What's New at fresh&easy

There’s always something new happening around our shops. Each week we’re introducing new products to our range, finding new ways to help stretch budgets and preparing to open new stores!

To stay informed on What’s New around your fresh&easy, Click Here! And check back often!!!

Cheers,
Gary

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