Fresh & Easy Opens First Stores in Bay Area

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market CEO Tim Mason was joined today by San Jose City Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio, civic and neighborhood leaders and hundreds of customers to celebrate the opening of Fresh & Easy's first San Jose store – which is also the company's first in Northern California, a significant step for Fresh & Easy. The grocer also opened another Bay Area store in Danville today.

"I'd like to thank Fresh & Easy for opening their first Northern California store here in San Jose," said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.  "It's been a pleasure working with Tim Mason and his team over the past two years and we look forward to helping them open many more new stores throughout the city. We appreciate their investments in San Jose and their commitment to providing fresh and affordable food for our residents."

Fresh & Easy opened its first stores in November 2007 in Southern California, and has steadily expanded in the state since, moving into Bakersfield in December 2008 and Fresno in January 2010. Today's openings are the first of more than a dozen Fresh & Easy stores set to open early this year in Northern California, which will create more than 300 jobs with great pay and benefits.

"We opened our first stores in 2007 with the goal of creating a modern, 21st century grocery store," said Mason. "Fast forward to today, and we have 166 stores and more than 4,500 employees. We know our fresh prepared meals, our less processed foods and our very competitive prices will be very well received by Northern California shoppers. Today marks another significant step for our business and we couldn't be more excited."

For each new store opening, Fresh & Easy invites neighbors to nominate a local, non-profit organization to receive a $1,000 donation. Based off the nominations from the neighborhood, store employees selected the following charities this week:

"As a Willow Glen native, it is my pleasure to welcome Fresh & Easy to our neighborhood," shared Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio. "Not only is Willow Glen home to a new grocer, the overall shopping center is gaining a strong anchor tenant which will revitalize the area."  

Entry-level positions start at $10 an hour in California and offer quarterly bonuses of up to 10% as well as a 401(k) with company match. The company believes everyone deserves access to affordable and comprehensive healthcare and provides all employees the opportunity to work at least 20 hours per week, which entitles everyone to vision, prescription drug, dental and medical coverage with Fresh & Easy paying at least 75%.  

To learn more about Fresh & Easy, neighbors and customers are invited to join Friends of Fresh & Easy at www.freshandeasy.com/friends. By joining, customers will have access to exclusive offers, the latest news on their favorite products and a free canvas bag.

About Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market

Fresh & Easy operates more than 160 stores in California, Arizona and Nevada. In addition to fresh prepared meals, meats and produce, Fresh & Easy offers everyone's favorite national brand products and household items, all at unbelievably low prices. The grocer's popular fresh&easy brand products have no artificial colors or flavors, no added trans fats, no high-fructose corn syrup, and only use preservatives when absolutely necessary.

On average, Fresh & Easy stores use 30% less energy than a typical supermarket, which helps customers save money – and also helps the environment. Fresh & Easy uses LED lighting in external signs and freezer cases, offers customer recycling in every store, and uses advanced refrigeration and freezer units to cut back on energy usage. The company also recycles or reuses all of its display packaging, sending the majority back through its distribution center.

Fresh & Easy is a pilot member of the LEED Volume Certification Program, demonstrating its commitment to build sustainable buildings. The company has also voluntarily joined the California Climate Action Registry and The Climate Registry to disclose its greenhouse gas emissions. At its distribution center in Riverside, the company invested $13 million in a solar roof installation, which at 500,000 square feet is one of California's largest.

For more information about Fresh & Easy, visit www.freshandeasy.com. Also follow the company on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/fresh_and_easy and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/freshandeasy.  

SOURCE Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market