EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Ahead of Saturday’s announcement by Tesco that it would stop opening Fresh & Easy stores in the U.S. for the next three months to evaluate the business, analysts and observers had told SN they expect the company to make several changes at the 59-store chain, including tailoring the offering to better individual neighborhoods. Other changes could eventually include more advertising and the introduction of a frequent-shopper program, they said, as the chain reportedly has not met sales expectations. (See the March 31 issue of SN for more.) In his corporate blog, Simon Uwins, chief marketing officer for Tesco USA, wrote that the company had planned to take a break from expansion after the first 50 stores anyway. “We’ve given ourselves a little bit of time to kick the tires, smooth out any wrinkles, and make some improvements that customers have asked for,” he wrote.

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