Fresh & Easy Planning New Store in Loma Linda, Southern California

Fresh & Easy has submitted plans to locate a new grocery market at the northwest corner of Redlands Blvd. and Mountain View Avenue in the Southern California city of Loma Linda, reports The Sun, a newspaper in San Bernardino County, where Loma Linda is located.

San Bernardino County, in Southern California's Inland Empire region, is a key market for Tesco's planned Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market empire. In the next two years, Tesco plans to open 18-20 stores in the fast-growing county. The retailer has said it plans on opening about 130-200 stores in California, Arizona and Nevada in the 2008 to 2009 time period. Currently, there are about 30 stores open in the three-state region. The first stores opened just two months ago, in early November, 2007.

If the plans are approved by the Loma Linda planning commission on January 23, and then by the city council after that--which looks likely--the Fresh & Easy store would be the retail anchor for a 26,000 square foot shopping center at the location. The center, which would be built on a 2.6 acre lot that's been vacant for years, would also include other retail stores and a fast food restaurant, according to The Sun.

With it's rapid store development plan, Fresh & Easy has been renovating numerous previous empty retail buildings in Southern California for its 10,000 to 13,000 square foot grocery markets. Additionally, it plans to locate stores in a number of spots, like the Loma Linda location, that are looking to be developed by builders and need a retail anchor tenant.

There appears to be widespread support among members of the city's planning commission and city council (including the city's mayor) for Fresh & Easy to locate a store in the currently vacant site.

(Read the full story here.)