Fresh & Easy grocery to open new store Wednesday in Southern Highlands

By Gregan Wingert

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 | 2 a.m.

After the Las Vegas Valley saw six Fresh & Easy grocery stores close in recent years, a new Fresh & Easy location is opening Wednesday in the Southern Highlands area.

The 10 a.m. grand opening of the 4760 W. Cactus Ave. store near South Decatur Boulevard will feature raffle prizes for the public and a $1,000 check presentation to a local Boys & Girls Club. Regular store hours will be from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

“We’re really excited to have a new store operating in the Southern Highlands area,” said Calvin Parker, a district manager for Fresh & Easy. “It was an opportunity to move into a new area.”

Currently the Las Vegas Valley has 21 operating Fresh & Easy locations, not counting the six stores that have been shut down. Fresh & Easy stores offer a complement of organic foods, freshly prepared take-home meals and name-brand items. The stores have design features such as concrete floors and energy-efficient LED lighting, which company officials say keep their costs down so they can pass savings on to the consumer.

“Those particular store sites we needed to close,” said Brendan Wonnacott, communications director for the El Segundo, Calif.-based company.

Five of those stores are in the northeast valley and were shut down in 2010 due to a failing economy. Employees of those locations were relocated to other stores, he said.

The company plans to reopen those stores as the economy improves, said Wonnacott, adding that he is optimistic about future economic growth in Las Vegas.

Until then, the company is opening locations in areas that don’t have Fresh & Easy nearby.

Before the new location, the closest Fresh & Easy to Cactus Avenue and Decatur Boulevard was four miles away on Silverado Ranch Boulevard.

“We think what we currently offer is going to be a good fit for the (Southern Highlands) neighborhood,” Wonnacott said. “It’s geared toward people who are looking for affordable, high-quality food.”

Fresh & Easy started in 2007 and stores can be found in Arizona, California and Nevada. This month, three stores have opened in California.