Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market coming to Maricopa

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A new concept in neighborhood markets is coming to Arizona, and while Maricopa is not in the first round of openings, it is on the list.

The site for the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, which will open four stores in Arizona early next month, is on the northwest corner of John Wayne Parkway and Hathaway Avenue.

The opening date was originally scheduled for February 2008, but construction delays and other factors have postponed it, according to Nick Guttilla, an attorney representing Fresh & Easy in its request for a liquor license at Tuesday’s city council meeting. “I have no idea,” he responded to Councilman Will Dunn’s question of the when the store will open. “I can’t tell you when this one will open.”

Fresh & Easy builds stores about 10,000 square feet, smaller than conventional supermarkets, with the idea that shopping there would be faster and easier. It also stresses the freshness of its food offering, including a private label with foods that have no added transfats, artificial colors or flavors and preservatives “only when absolutely necessary,” according to a company press release. Deliveries also are made daily.

Each store employs about 20 to 30 people for 20 hours a week or more, and it looks to hire from the local neighborhood. The company says entry level positions start at $9 per hour in Arizona and offer up to a 10 percent bonus.

The first four Arizona stores open Dec. 5 in the East Valley – three in Mesa and one in Chandler.

“We are thrilled to bring our neighbors in Arizona fresh, wholesome food at affordable prices,” Tim Mason, Fresh & Easy CEO, said in a statement. “Our stores in Southern California and Las Vegas have been very well received, and we look forward to serving our new neighbors here in Arizona.”

Fresh & Easy is owned by Tesco, the biggest retailer in the United Kingdom and the third largest in the world. It has more than 3,200 stories in a dozen countries and has more than 400,000 employees worldwide.

The company has announced locations for 122 U.S. stores, with 50 of them in Southern California, Las Vegas and the Phoenix area to open by the end of February. It says it will invest $2 billion over the next five years and have 200 stores by the end of 2008.

The company also promises to build green buildings, LEED-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The company says it will recycle or reuse all of its display and shipping materials and use environmentally friendly trailers to ship food. Its distribution center in Riverside, Calif. is that state’s biggest solar roof installation.