British grocery chain eyes north Hanford site

British grocery chain Fresh & Easy is seeking to open a new store in north Hanford, city planning officials say. The location of the proposed store is the northwest corner of 10th and Fargo avenues. Currently, a site plan for the shopping center integrating the Rite Aid store to the south is currently being processed. Evergreen Devco, Inc, a Phoenix-based developer, is seeking city approval for the sale of liquor at Fresh & Easy.

On Tuesday, the Hanford City Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the conditional use permit that would allow liquor sales at Fresh & Easy as well as a parcel map proposing to divide the 5.13-acre project site into four parcels.

The liquor sale by the chain would require a conditional use permit because the store is located within 300 feet of a residential zone, city officials say.

Fresh & Easy -- a subsidiary of the U.K.-based retailer Tesco, the fourth largest retailer in the world -- is a small supermarkets chain fairly new to the West Coast.

Since its first store opening in Southern California last year, the company has been rapidly expanding its reach. There are now 67 stores in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Fresh & Easy stores are 13,969 square feet in size, while a regular grocery store is between 50,000-60,000 square feet. Because of its compact size and its neighborhood-friendly format, it is often compared to Trader Joe's, which has long dominated the local small grocery store business.

The Planning Commission meets every second and fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Civic Auditorium, 400 N. Douty St., Hanford.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2429.

(Aug. 11, 2008)