Grocery Stores

Like the redcoats of yesteryear, British retail giant Tesco is finding America hard to win over. Seven California grocery stores are among 12 underperforming locations nationwide to be closed by Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market in an effort to boost profitability. The stores in California — in Anaheim, Bakersfield, Baldwin Park, Fountain Valley, Fresno, Hemet and Ontario — will close within the next few weeks, along with four stores in Phoenix and one in Las Vegas, company spokesman Brendan Wonnacott said.

"Do you need any help out with your groceries today?" Well yes, as a matter of fact. There are three full grocery bags in the cart. And a purse. And a 3-year-old. And that cart is a lifesaver because a person only has two arms. But instead of going all the way to the car or the bus stop, the wheels are locked and the thing won't move. Staring down from a post and mocking shoppers is a snarky sign explaining that the carts will go only so far and then stop at an electronic barrier, and that this confounded new system is somehow there for our protection.

Latasha Jones visits the Walmart Neighborhood Market in Indianapolis several times a week to stock up on fresh produce and baked goods. The grocery store, located on a busy thoroughfare just off Interstate 465, is a convenient stop on the way to work. "This is the only place I shop for groceries," said Jones, 27. "It's cheaper than the Supercenter, and it's always busy. " If Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has its way, the same scenario will be repeated many times across urban neighborhoods as the world's largest retailer unleashes a new strategy to gain access to the city.

Tests on seafood sold at Los Angeles sushi bars, other restaurants, and grocery stores have revealed that more than half is not labeled correctly, a nonprofit organization is reporting. Red snapper, Dover sole, white tuna and other fish were often different species, the group Oceana found in DNA tests of seafood from 74 retail outlets in Los Angeles. In all, 55% of 119 fish samples from across L.A. were misidentified, Oceana said. Oceana focused on the frequency of mislabeling rather than its origins.

Starbucks Coffee Co.'s foray into juice is bearing fruit (and vegetables), with its first Evolution Fresh store now open and selling “wholesome products” in Bellevue, Wash. The Seattle coffee giant, hoping for an entryway into the burgeoning healthful lifestyle industry, bought San Bernardino-based Evolution Fresh Inc. in November for $30 million . The juice company, created by Naked Juice founder Jimmy Rosenberg, uses fresh fruits and vegetables and employs a process called high-pressure processing that produces the juice without heat to retain more nutrients and flavors.

Seven Southland grocery stores are among 12 under-performing locations nationwide to be closed by Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets in an effort to boost profitability, a report says. The seven stores in Southern California -- in Anaheim, Bakersfield, Baldwin Park, Fountain Valley, Fresno, Hemet and Ontario -- will close within the next few weeks, along with four stores in Phoenix and one in Las Vegas, company spokesman Brendan Wonnacott wrote in an email. "At this time, there is simply not enough growth in sales and customers at those stores to keep them open," Wonnacott said.

Nibbling tentatively at the online grocery business, Stater Bros. Markets announced a partnership with a home-delivery service that will allow residents in south Orange County to order items from its supermarkets over the Internet. Colton-based Stater Bros. plans to begin the service next month with partner Whyrunout.com, an Aliso Viejo company that also delivers dry-cleaning, processed film and other goods. Stater Bros. will pay Whyrunout.com an undisclosed fee to make the deliveries.

Long before banks started locating branches inside supermarkets, grocery stores acted as informal financial establishments, cashing payroll checks and personal checks to provide ready cash for their customers. That's starting to change. Whole Foods Market Inc. is considering banning the use of personal checks at its stores and this month stopped accepting checks at two stores in Los Angeles County and one in Arizona as a test. Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, the California division of British retailing giant Tesco, won't take personal checks at any of the 70 stores it operates in California.

There are probably a good number of people who actually pay attention to all those grocery store ads, which attempt to convince consumers they should become regular shoppers at a particular market because a) the food is better, b) the prices are better and c) the service is infinitely better. I am not one of them. Double coupons or not, there's never really been enough of a difference for me to form an allegiance to the place I shop. Until just a few days ago, that is.

Laws passed by California cities to protect labor when businesses change hands received a boost Monday from the California Supreme Court, which revived a Los Angeles ordinance aimed at protecting grocery workers. The state high court ruled 6 to 1 that the 2005 city measure, which lower courts had rejected, did not usurp state or federal law or violate constitutional guarantees by requiring new grocery store owners to keep existing employees for months after taking over ownership.

Four weeks after Wal-Mart announced plans to open a grocery store in Chinatown, Los Angeles City Council members have proposed a law that would block an array of chain businesses from opening in the neighborhood. A temporary ordinance sought by Councilman Ed Reyes would prohibit building permits from being issued for new "formula retail" stores - those that have standardized facades, color schemes, decor, employee uniforms and merchandise. Wal-Mart is seeking to open a 33,000-square-foot market and pharmacy in a vacant ground-floor commercial space at Cesar Chavez and Grand avenues.

Starbucks Coffee Co.'s foray into juice is bearing fruit (and vegetables), with its first Evolution Fresh store now open and selling “wholesome products” in Bellevue, Wash. The Seattle coffee giant, hoping for an entryway into the burgeoning healthful lifestyle industry, bought San Bernardino-based Evolution Fresh Inc. in November for $30 million . The juice company, created by Naked Juice founder Jimmy Rosenberg, uses fresh fruits and vegetables and employs a process called high-pressure processing that produces the juice without heat to retain more nutrients and flavors.

If the National Restaurant Assn. is right, eateries across the country will end this year with record high sales. The trade group is expecting $632 billion in revenue for the industry - a 3.5% increase over 2011. The still-shaky economy, it seems, won't be getting too much in the way. Restaurants with table service will haul in an estimated $201 billion, while fast-food joints such as McDonald's  are expected to end up with $174 billion in revenue for the year.

Like the redcoats of yesteryear, British retail giant Tesco is finding America hard to win over. Seven California grocery stores are among 12 underperforming locations nationwide to be closed by Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market in an effort to boost profitability. The stores in California — in Anaheim, Bakersfield, Baldwin Park, Fountain Valley, Fresno, Hemet and Ontario — will close within the next few weeks, along with four stores in Phoenix and one in Las Vegas, company spokesman Brendan Wonnacott said.

Seven Southland grocery stores are among 12 under-performing locations nationwide to be closed by Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets in an effort to boost profitability, a report says. The seven stores in Southern California -- in Anaheim, Bakersfield, Baldwin Park, Fountain Valley, Fresno, Hemet and Ontario -- will close within the next few weeks, along with four stores in Phoenix and one in Las Vegas, company spokesman Brendan Wonnacott wrote in an email. "At this time, there is simply not enough growth in sales and customers at those stores to keep them open," Wonnacott said.

Millions of Californians took part in one of the largest-ever simultaneous earthquake drills Thursday, sending students, hospital workers and even Target shoppers dropping for cover at 10:20 a.m. The annual ShakeOut drill, which attracted 8.6 million registrants in California, was intended to train the public on what to do the moment the shaking begins — dropping, covering your head, and holding on, rather than panicking and running, which would...

Quick, which of the following is not allowed in New York: riding the subway without pants, performing a play in public while naked, or buying wine at the grocery store? If you chose the last option, perhaps you've been following one of the liveliest debates to emerge from otherwise dry budget talks in the state capital, Albany, where politicians struggling with a dire fiscal crisis see wine as an antidote. New York remains one of 15 states that limit wine sales to liquor stores.

"Do you need any help out with your groceries today?" Well yes, as a matter of fact. There are three full grocery bags in the cart. And a purse. And a 3-year-old. And that cart is a lifesaver because a person only has two arms. But instead of going all the way to the car or the bus stop, the wheels are locked and the thing won't move. Staring down from a post and mocking shoppers is a snarky sign explaining that the carts will go only so far and then stop at an electronic barrier, and that this confounded new system is somehow there for our protection.

Members of Southern California's grocery union have ratified a new contract with Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons, bringing an end to labor negotiations that dragged on for more than eight months and brought tens of thousands of workers to the verge of a strike. The contract, which union members voted in favor of this weekend, will help ensure that workers at the big three grocery chains will stay on the job and prevent a potentially devastating blow to the state's already shaky economy.

With the door now open for a strike, and management and the labor unions at Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons preparing for another potential work stoppage, one thing is clear: The true winners would be competing grocery stores. Since the last strike and lockout in 2003-04, which lasted 141 days, the three big grocers have hemorrhaged market share. As of 2004, the chains held nearly 60% of the Southern California grocery trade, according to the research firm Strategic Resource Group in New York.