Fresh & Easy Breaks Ground in South Los Angeles

Store will bring fresh food at affordable prices to underserved neighborhood

SOUTH LOS ANGELES, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh & Easy
Neighborhood Market CEO Tim Mason today joined L.A. City Councilwoman Jan
Perry and other local dignitaries in breaking ground on a new Fresh & Easy
store that is part of a mixed-use development project at 1011 East Adams
Boulevard in South L.A.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080714/AQM538)
Fresh & Easy currently operates 63 stores across Southern California,
Nevada and Arizona, including 11 in Los Angeles County. Earlier this year,
the company opened a store in the City of Compton, confirming Fresh & Easy's
commitment to open in all different types of neighborhoods, including those
that have been traditionally underserved. In the Compton store, over half of
the top 20 products selling are fresh fruits and vegetables, several of them
organic.
A recent independent study prepared for the Community Redevelopment Agency
of the City of Los Angeles found residents of the Ninth City Council District
spend over $400 million in annual general merchandise, groceries and
restaurants outside of the district. This data supports the need for greater
food access in the neighborhood, a void which Fresh & Easy will help to fill.
"Fresh & Easy is committed to serving all different types of
neighborhoods. We strongly believe everyone deserves fresh, wholesome food at
affordable prices, regardless of where they live," said Mason. "We are
excited to open in South LA and bring local, high quality jobs to the
neighborhood."
The mixed-use project at 1011 East Adams will feature 80 apartments built
on three levels above 19,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space fronting
on both streets, bringing quality family housing and retail job opportunities
to this underserved community.
About Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market
At roughly 10,000 square feet, Fresh & Easy markets are smaller than the
typical supermarket to give customers a faster, easier shopping experience.
In addition to fresh, prepared meals and produce, Fresh & Easy offers
everyone's favorite national brand products and household items, all at
everyday low prices.
Each store employs approximately 20 to 30 people. All Fresh & Easy
employees are given the opportunity to work at least 20 hours per week, which
entitles them to comprehensive and affordable healthcare. Entry-level
positions start at $10 an hour in California, with similarly competitive
salaries in other states, and offer a quarterly bonus of up to 10% and a
401(K) with company match. Last month, the company stated an intention to
hire 750 employees over the next 90 days.
Fresh & Easy has gone to great lengths to ensure all its Fresh & Easy
brand products contain no added trans fats, artificial colors or flavors, and
use preservatives only when absolutely necessary. Deliveries are made daily
to each store to ensure all products are as fresh as possible.
More information regarding Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market can be found
at http://www.freshandeasy.com.
SOURCE Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market

Brendan Wonnacott, +1-916-554-3466, Cell, +1-310-384-3833, for Fresh & Easy
Neighborhood Market