The British are leaving, the British are leaving!
Fresh & Easy stores in California and beyond will soon be sold or closed, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Owned by Britain's Tesco, the 199-market grocery chain never quite caught on with American consumers.
Analysts said the recession was partly to blame—Fresh & Easy debuted in California, Nevada and Arizona in 2007, just as the economy was tanking. But, ultimately, shoppers didn't warm to the concept.
"Though it attracted a small group of loyalists, Fresh & Easy largely failed to capture the imagination of American consumers who proved unaccustomed to British-style ready meals, self-service cash registers and unfamiliar store layouts," the Journal said.
Tesco's CEO told the paper: "It's likely, but not certain, that our presence in America will come to an end."
Offers to buy all or part of the chain are already trickling in, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Fresh & Easy's locations include Mountain View, Pacifica, Napa, Sunnyvale, two in Hayward and three each in San Jose and San Francisco.
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