Fresh & Easy Announces Opening Dates for First Four Fresno Area Stores

Grocer to Hire 125 Employees through February

FRESNO, Calif., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresno City Council President Cynthia Sterling, Fresno City Council Member Lee Brand and Fresno Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Marlene Murphey today joined Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market CEO Tim Mason in announcing the opening dates for the first four Fresh & Easy stores in the Fresno area.

Last month, Fresh & Easy announced its first 12 locations in the Fresno area and plans to have six stores open by the end of February, including a highly anticipated location in downtown Fresno. Fresh & Easy openings announced today:

    -- Lemoore & Cinnamon, Lemoore:    December 2nd
    -- Tulare & R, Fresno:             January 13th
    -- Cedar & Nees, Fresno:           January 13th
    -- Shaw & Willow, Clovis:          January 13th

"Everyone deserves access to fresh, wholesome food at affordable prices and that's what Fresh & Easy brings to the neighborhood. With six stores open by the end of February, we'll create 125 good paying, quality jobs for the Fresno area," said Mason. "We are also proud to bring the first grocery store to downtown Fresno in years and be a part of a broader redevelopment program to revitalize the downtown area."

Fresh & Easy has created a positive, team-based culture, where everyone is treated with respect. 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 will start at $10 an hour in Fresno and offer a quarterly bonus of up to 10% and a 401(k) with company match.

"Fresh & Easy's commitment to Fresno is important because it will bring healthy and affordable food and good-paying jobs to our city," Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin said. "We're excited for these stores to open and hope they encourage even more business and growth in Fresno."

As part of Fresh & Easy's commitment to be a good neighbor, the company awards a neighborhood charity with a $1,000 donation at each store opening. The charity is selected by store employees from neighborhood nominations made through the company's website (www.freshandeasy.com/goodneighbor). Fresh & Easy has also made it a priority to lessen its impact on the environment - on average, Fresh & Easy stores use 30% less energy than a typical supermarket and utilize technologies like solar tracking skylights, automatically dimming lights, and LED lighting. Fresh & Easy recycles or reuses all its shipping and display materials and uses environmentally-friendly trailers to transport food. The company is a pilot member of the LEED Volume Certification Program and has invested in a 500,000 sq ft solar roof installation on its distribution center in Riverside, California.

About Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market

Fresh & Easy is a local, neighborhood store providing fresh, high-quality, wholesome food at unbelievably low prices to everyone. At roughly 10,000 square feet, the stores are smaller than the typical supermarket while carrying everything customers need to do their weekly shopping. Fresh & Easy currently has stores in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada.

More information regarding Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market can be found at www.freshandeasy.com.

SOURCE Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market

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http://www.freshandeasy.com