Supermarket giant Tesco has announced plans to expand its new US-based Fresh and Easy convenience chain into northern California .
The retailer said it will add to the 55 stores currently operating in southern parts of the state, Las Vegas and Phoenix, with the opening of 19 new stores in and around the city of Sacramento .
Tesco also unveiled plans to build a second distribution centre near San Francisco, in addition to the one situated east of Los Angles, which would enable Fresh and Easy to combine a network of over 1,000 stores across the West Coast, from Seattle to San Diego .
Tim Mason, chief executive of the Fresh and Easy chain, said: “The Sacramento region is a great fit for us – it is vibrant, fast-growing and widely known as having one of the most diverse populations in the US .”
Earlier in the week, broker Piper Jaffray suggested the Fresh and Easy chain was not living up to Tesco’s expectations with poor performance figures.
But, Mason has since hit back, saying the firm are “very pleased” with the performance of all of the US-based stores .
“Every single week brings more good news as sales, customer numbers and repeat visits are all growing,” he added.
The Fresh and Easy convenience chain was launched in the US by Tesco last November as part of its global expansion plans, which also include operations Europe, Australia, China and other parts of Asia .
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