LAS VEGAS — Tesco plans to open 14 Fresh & Easy stores here, in addition to 20 in Phoenix and an unspecified number in California, by the end of its fiscal year in February, Tim Mason, chief executive officer of Tesco’s U.S. operations, said here yesterday. He said the company will disclose plans for Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego in the next few weeks. Because Fresh & Easy is an unknown entity in the U.S., the stores will feature a tasting station called the Kitchen Table — the first time Tesco is taking that approach to marketing, Mason said. “Why should consumers take our word for how good the food is?” he said. “It will allow consumers to sample the products with highly trained people who understand how the food is prepared, how it will be used and what wines will go with each item.” He declined to comment on reports the company is scouting locations in Sacramento, Calif., and said reports of its interest in the Denver market started because “we did part of our consumer research there.”
