Loma Linda Fresh & Easy Remains Delayed, Murrieta Added to List

For more than two years, the Fresh & Easy store on Redlands Boulevard and Mountain View Avenue has remained empty, with no opening date in sight.

Now the store will get some company as a location in Murrieta sits idle on Nutmeg Street and Jackson Avenue, waiting to be opened.

The Fresh & Easy stores, owned and operated by United Kingdom-based Tesco, are complete, but many locations have yet to open. The company has not determined a date when the store will open, pinning the delay on a weak economy.

Fresh & Easy plans to publicize the opening date as soon as they receive a time frame when the store could open, said Brendan Wonnacott, a spokesman for Fresh & Easy.

“The economic climate is something we have to take into consideration as we expand. When we started out, we had plans to expand more rapidly with more stores than we ended up functioning (with). We currently have several stores in various stages of the development process,” Wonnacott said.

“The Inland Empire has been particularly hard hit, without a doubt, and that did factor heavily into our decision on when and where we open stores,” Wonnacott said.

According to Bruce Coleman, economic development director for the city of Murrieta, the city has reached out to Fresh & Easy, offering assistance if necessary to get the store opened.

“This is a very good location. It is a very underserved area of the community,” Coleman said.

Loma Linda Mayor Rhodes Rhigsby shared similar sentiments back in January, stating that the city was a perfect place for a Fresh & Easy store, built in an "optimal" location.

“We've been in contact with Fresh & Easy to open as soon as possible," Coleman said. "We have not received any information at this stage, but we will continue to call and continue to try to let them know this is a very good opportunity. We will encourage them and try to help them understand this is a very strong market.

"…Obviously, they have to make their own business decision, but what we try to do, as the city always does, is encourage expansion."

Coleman pointed to a small number of grocery stores within city limits, with ample housing and a growing population creating demand for another grocery store.

“The fact that a supermarket is having a hard time during the recession is not a surprise,” Coleman said.

“Although Murrieta is mistaken as the Inland Empire, it functions more as an extension of the San Diego region. … We are often mistaken by retailers as being a part of the Inland Empire. The Inland Empire has economic distress levels that Murrieta is not experiencing. Murrieta is experiencing strong income levels, so from that point of view there continues to be opportunity for certain types of retailers.”

Murrieta has been successful is accommodating businesses that needed to expedite expansion or opening retail stores, such as Jerome’s Furniture on Village Walk Place and the new BMW of Murrieta opening next month, Coleman said.

“I just need a phone call to me and we will figure out what we can do to help them," he said. "The city wants to be very supportive of development and that’s the philosophy of the City Council.”

On the other side of town, a  has been open on Murrieta Hot Springs Road since September 2008. Fresh & Easy locations are unique in that they offer self check-outs and ready-made meals.