More details of Tesco U.S. launch revealed

More details of Tesco U.S. launch revealed Details of the impending U.S. grocery market invasion by British retailer Tesco continue to leak out while the firm itself is slowly peeling back its self-imposed secrecy on the fall rollout.
   Long considered the Wal-Mart of Europe, Tesco has said it plans to open at least 100 of its branded Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets in the United States by February. New details include a tripling of the stores planned for Orange County. The firm has applied for state licenses for six Orange County locations, according to the OC Register, including Fullerton, Laguna Hills, Orange, Anaheim, Buena Park and Huntington Beach. Only two locations for Orange County had previously been revealed.
   In addition, the Register is reporting that the retailer has applied for licenses to sell beer and wine in 50 cities throughout the state.
   Tesco is marketing the Fresh & Easy stores as alternatives to tradition markets, with an emphasis on what the retailer calls 'healthy, fresh foods and prepared takeout meals at low prices.' The store format is about 20 percent the size of traditional supermarkets, but three times larger than an average convenience store.
   In a rare departure from its tight-lipped approach to the upcoming rollout, Tesco also revealed minimal details of one of the stores it actually intends to build. Located in the city of Orange, Tesco announced the 10,000-square-foot Fresh & Easy store is slated to open by fall.
   The 100 stores are just the first step, and Tesco plans to spend $400 million per year over the next five years to expand its chain in the United States.
   The British retailer previously said it was looking to open other stores in Las Vegas, as well as the competitive Los Angeles and San Diego markets in Southern California. It has secured 20 sites around Phoenix for its initial stores.
   Tesco plans to begin opening the Arizona stores later this year.
   The retailer has expanded aggressively in recent years and opened its first Tesco-branded store in China in January. It also runs retail operations in Hungary, Poland, Japan and Thailand, among other countries.
   Tesco is already investing heavily in the venture, with construction of a new $13 million, 500,000-square-foot distribution center in Riverside, under way.
   Tesco has also recruited more than 150 employees for an El Segundo facility and the British retailer expects to create more than 2,500 new jobs as its planned stores begin opening their doors to consumers.