Never one to miss a PR opportunity, British grocery giant Tesco has announced that it is delaying new Fresh & Easy grand openings for at least three months, “pausing for breath.”

According to the Tesco Chief Marketing Officer Simon Uwins’ own weblog:

… After opening our first 50, we planned to have a 3 month break from openings, and other than a couple more in Phoenix, we’re taking it (albeit, in our usual fashion, with 59 stores already open).

Why?

Quite simply, to allow the business we’ve created to settle down.

In 9 months, we’ve gone from a project team of 200 people to a business employing nearly 2500 people - and in another 9 months, it’ll be over 5000. In a little over 4 months, we’ve gone from a business with no stores to one with 59 - with hundreds more in the pipeline.

Except the SJ Business Journal is also reporting that sales are well below expectations for the already-open Fresh & Easy stores:

A Piper Jaffray analyst said mid-month that Fresh & Easy was failing to attract shoppers and had missed its early sales targets by 70 percent.

Tesco had hoped to bring in sales of $100 million over six months, the report said, but had sales of only $30 million in that period, according to the analyst’s report, which was based in part on information from suppliers. Tesco said in published reports that it was “bewildered” by the revenue assertions and called the report “utterly baseless.”

In the UK, the Sunday Telegraph also cuts to the chase, in its story first breaking the news:

Tesco has halted the rollout of Fresh & Easy, its chain of US convenience stores, while it reviews the performance of the fledgling business. The move will spark renewed speculation about the performance of Britain’s biggest retailer in the world’s largest consumer spending market. …

Amid claims that Fresh & Easy has missed internal sales targets, analysts have questioned whether US consumers have been left unimpressed by the format, which Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco’s chief executive, has pledged will make significant inroads into the US.

In Southern California, where Tesco opened its first U.S. store last November, the LA Curbed website also ponders the store’s true motivations:

Most of the experts on the Retail Wire discussion boards seem to agree that the stop and reassessment was long overdue.

“Tesco should have called a time out before this. It isn’t the case that Fresh & Easy is doomed as a format, it’s the case that it WILL be doomed as a format if there isn’t some course correction. The stores are mis-merchandised, mis-positioned and at least some of the locations are textbook examples on how not to select a site.

All that said, Tesco has enough resources–capital and human–to make this right. It’s good business not to try to course-correct and expand at the same time.”
Ryan Mathews, Founder, CEO, Black Monk Consulting

Although the news impacts stores across the U.S., there is no specific word on whether this operational pause will delay the Fresh & Easy Willow Glen grand openings, originally scheduled for 2009.

Alert WGx reader Jim Routh noticed something amiss in Downtown Willow Glen a few weeks ago:

—–Original Message—–
From: Jim Routh
To: WGx@willowglenextra.com
Subject: Three Dogs Bistro

Any idea what became of Three Dogs Bistro? It was supposed to go in in the space where Sharky’s used to be between Aqui and Blockbuster. I’d heard that it was going to be run by the same folks that run Aqui but would be a bit more upscale. Paper went up on the windows at the end of last summer announcing it was coming in March of ‘08, which at the time seemed like forever away. But March is here and nearly gone and nothing seems to be happening.

Any news? JMR

WGx had also noticed that the signs announcing the new restaurant had been taken down over the last few months, so Jim’s question spurred a little investigation.

Actually, it was a very little investigation. Aqui executive chef Ron Francis replied to our simple email inquiry:

—–Original Message—–
From: Rob Francis
To: WGx@willowglenextra.com

We decided to pass on the deal. The new Aqui in Campbell has our hands full!

Thanks, Rob

So there you go. … No landlord-based intrigue, no surprise “quiet opening” on the horizon, no alleyway reconstruction a la Msr. Beans, no health department conspiracy to ban dogs from eateries. Nothing.

But don’t worry, City Council representative Pierluigi Oliverio provided another exclusive update to WGx. He says there’s another restaurant in the works for the location, but nothing is public yet.

By the way … WillowGlenExtra welcomes your content suggestions, including questions, WG FAQs, news tips, and promotional announcements. Just leave a comment to any post, or email your stuff directly. If you want to blog yourself, you’re also invited to join WGx!

Following the successful expansion of Aqui from WG to downtown Campbell, another WG store opens shop on Campbell Avenue later this week.

Construction and renovation of the new Bella James outlet in Campbell has been underway for a few months, and the Grand Opening will be held on Saturday, March 29. The upscale womens boutique has published a “20% postcard” on its website, and will be hosting give-aways and drawings at both locations. The second store opens just two years after the original opened in the Garden Theater.

The new Campbell location will also be hosting a Togglez Jewelry Trunk Show on Saturday. you can find them at 350 East Campbell Avenue, across the street from Orchard Valley Coffee.

Another fire station might be coming to Willow Glen. SJFD Fire Station #37 — proposed to replace the parking lot along Lincoln Avenue next to the Willows Senior Center — will be the topic of a preliminary community meeting on Thursday, March 27.

The City of San Jose invites you to a Community Meeting regarding new Fire Station #37

Please join the City of San Jose Fire Department for an overview and community discussion regarding a new Fire Station proposed to be located adjacent to the Willows Senior Center.

Thursday, March 27, 2008 @ 6:30 p.m.
Willows Senior Center

But it’s only in the site selection stage, so don’t go counting your emergency response times just yet … although a closer fire station would have been helpful last summer. And the new fire hydrants along Curtner are just a coincidence of course.

At this community meeting, City and SJFD staff will present their plans for existing City lands. The proposed site fronts Lincoln and is a portion of the Willow’s Senior Center site currently used for parking. The Senior Center and adjoining park will remain intact. Staff will present a diagram of the proposed land use and describe the general project scope, timeline and operational benefits on Thursday.

But according to Pierluigi Oliverio’s office, the new station would occupy a portion of the Willows parking lot (facing Lincoln to the left), and would require voter approval since it would replace set-aside park land. The new station would augment or replace existing Station #6, and add an additional fire fighter (from 5 to 6) to the neighborhood service.

While any talk of a “capital project” is at least two-year’s premature, the City does list Station #37 on its Capital Project Management System.

There will undoubtedly be lots of questions:

Aside from the cost of the property, why wouldn’t the City consider acquiring the parcel on the corner of Curtner & Lincoln, and put the new fire station there? That corner has hosted a school, a grocery store, and most recently a gas station. Anything would be an improvement over the vacant lot and chain link fence.

Where will SJPD set-up their Senior Center speed trap, if the fire station occupies the parking lot?

So, we’ll wait for the meeting. … and then the political process? (more…)

A quick update from VTA, unrelated to the recent derailment:

Beginning March 25, both weekday and weekend northbound light rail trains will travel through Tamien Station without stopping. … Tamien Station is tentatively scheduled to reopen to both north and southbound service on Saturday, April 12. …

Detour: Substitute northbound bus service from Curtner Station to Tamien Station, and also from Tamien Station to Convention Center Station, is being provided. Although substitute bus service frequency mirrors that of light rail, passengers are encouraged to allow extra time to reach their destination when using substitute bus service.
Note: Southbound service at Tamien Station is not affected.

This is a new arrangement, following weekend-only closures which had been in effect for the station.

Construction along Curtner Avenue continues this week between Lincoln Avenue and Almaden Road … but not at Curtner & Almaden Expressway, as near as anyone can tell.

The Curtner project has been water-related, with crews upgrading water mains and replacing fire hydrants along the block. Half-a-dozen new shiny yellow hydrants have replaced the not-so-shiny ones. The project is nearly complete, as the cosmetic improvements surrounding the new hydrants are underway. We hope.

It may be a stretch … even though today is Easter … And today’s headline isn’t one of the rhetorical questions looking for an obvious answer.

Last week, Burbed.com — the “SF Bay Area Home Price and Mortgage Insanity Blog” — highlighted a home for sale in Willow Glen. Or, perhaps on the outskirts of WG. Well, it’s almost right under Highway 87, so you decide.

Burbed gets all excited about the remodeled columns that add real character to the house. There are two columns on the front porch. And there are three in the entry way. There’s even one in the kitchen.

Happy Easter, everyone!

The Mercury News is reporting that three VTA Llight Rail cars have derailed, impacting traffic and travel to and from Willow Glen.

The train derailed about 7:10 p.m. just north of the Virginia Street light rail station. The injured were taken to the parking lot of the Tamien station, where paramedics treated and evaluated them, said San Jose Fire Capt. Steve Alvarado.

Southbound Highway 87 was been closed to allow emergency access and clean-up, but reopened in time to avoid delays to fans leaving tonight’s Sharks game.

There do not appear to be any serious injuries. Witnesses have expressed concern that the train may have been moving too fast, especially considering the station retrofit work that is ongoing along the line.

It’s buried in the Sharks news digest from a few days ago, but it was a nice moment between periods last Sunday night when the San Jose Sharks — along with the four other Bay Area major league sports franchises — honored high school student-athletes in their competitive sports scholarship program.

San Jose’s professional hockey team honored WG’s Mohamed Abdalla with its award:

BAY AREA SPORTS TEAMS TO PRESENT LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

In a collective effort to support youth working towards the goal of higher education, Bay Area professional sports franchises, including the Golden State Warriors, Oakland Athletics, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants and San Jose Sharks, have teamed up for the 12th year of the Bay Area All-Star Scholarship Team (BAASST). As part of this program, the first of its kind among professional sports teams, five high school seniors have been selected to receive a $3,000 scholarship to be applied toward their college education.

Each Bay Area sports franchise will recognize this year’s five Bay Area All-Star Scholarship Team recipients in a ceremony this year. The first ceremony is set for Sunday, March 16 when the recipients will be honored during a special in-game ceremony during the San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers game at HP Pavilion at San Jose. A representative from each Bay Area sports organization will be in attendance to participate in each ceremony.

The 2008 BAASST recipients are Joshua Ortiz of De Anza High School in Richmond (Oakland A’s), Lauren Hunt of Calistoga Junior Senior High School in Calistoga (Oakland Raiders), Jasmine Nachtigall of Hillsdale High School in San Mateo (San Francisco 49ers), Elaine Chow of Galileo Academy in San Francisco (San Francisco Giants) and Mohamed Abdalla of Willow Glen High School in San Jose (San Jose Sharks).

Students were selected from high schools within nine Bay Area counties, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma. Each high school was provided with information about this scholarship and was encouraged to nominate candidates that met the following criteria: a minimum grade point average of 3.0, displays leadership qualities in the classroom and/or inspirational qualities on the athletic field and demonstrates the value of education, good work ethic and community outreach.

It’s great to see high school athletes honored like this, but only $3,000? … that’s not going to go very far …

Actually, it’s kind of just an experiment, but WGx has added some video resources lately, and you’re encouraged to check them out and provide feedback.

WillowGlenExtra has jumped aboard the recently announced CBS News Video Blog service, adding links to locally-produced news segments from KPIX-CBS5, along with advertisements served by the station. Similarly-inspired YouTube videos also now appear at the bottom of every individual post page (click on any story headline, then scroll down).

Theoretically, a portion of the ad revenue comes back to WGx to perhaps inspire more blogging and more news to appear right here. Than again, maybe not: the Google ads you already see here added up to $114 total revenue in 2007. So, hopefully WGx readers don’t mind the intrusion.

[sitethumb://www.RickBernardAcupuncture.com]And speaking of Video, a longtime WGx Member will be featured on KNTV-NBC11 tonight! Willow Glen acupuncturist Rick Bernard appears tonight, discussing acupuncture’s role in solving infertility problems. A growing collection of testimonials and local success stories appears on his website: RickBernardAcupuncture.com/.