SATURDAY MAY 26, 2012

VOLUME 6 NO 21

FRESH & EASYtm APPLYING FOR RESIDENCY IN SIERRA MADRE

By Susan Henderson

The international grocery chain, Fresh & Easy 
Neighborhood Market has submitted a formal 
application to the City of Sierra Madre seeking 
approval to build and operate a store in town. 
The desired site is the corner of Baldwin and 
Sierra Madre Blvd., where Taylor’s Meats currently 
resides.

According to Development Director Danny 
Castro, a completed application has been submitted 
and the city is now in the early stages 
of the environmental impact investigation. It 
is anticipated that neighborhood meetings and 
review by the planning commission won’t happen 
until the fall.

Fresh & Easy, says on its website, “Your groceries 
cost less because we design stores to save 
money. We install LED lighting and energy-
efficient refrigerator doors that use less. And by 
using less, we’re able to pass more savings on to 
you.

 We keep our prices simple too. In our shops, you won’t find confusing 
sales gimmicks; just honest low prices every day for everyone.”

 

The company is a subsidiary of the British multinational grocery 
and merchandise retailer, TESCO, the third largest retailer in the 
world. It ranks behind Wal-Mart and Carrefour in revenues and 
is second only to Wal-Mart in terms of profit. The company was 
founded in 1919, however, the Fresh & Easy stores did not come to 
America until 2007. There are currently over 180 stores in California, 
Nevada and Arizona. 

In January of this year, however, they closed seven of their California 
stores.

Most of their stores are much larger than what is being proposed for 
Sierra Madre. If they move to the site at Baldwin and Sierra Madre 
Blvd. they will not utilize the back parking lot which belongs to the 
city.

The company has established a reputation for being ‘green’. According 
to various sources, ‘Fresh & Easy states it has made a commitment 
to building Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design 
certified buildings.” Stores are equipped with LED lights in freezers, 
coolers and for outdoor signage. 

 

Almost two years ago, the company opened its first ‘Green Chill’ 
store in Rosemead. GreenChill is an EPA Partnership with food retailers 
to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact 

on the ozone layer and climate change. It is not known whether or 
not the proposed Sierra Madre facility will be a ‘green chill’ facility.

“Fresh & Easy’s sub critical cascade CO2 refrigeration system, 
which is one of only four in the United States, reduces the impact 
of the store’s refrigeration on the ozone layer by about 70 percent, 
compared to industry standards”,the company said in a statement 
when it opened its Rosemead store. “By utilizing a natural refrigerant, 
the system has an estimated 50 percent lower Global Warming 
Potential than traditional refrigerants.” 

In addition to Fresh & Easy’s efforts to reduce refrigerant emissions, 
it also focuses on system energy efficiency, including the use of energy 
efficient doors on freezer and dairy cases; Triple-pane glass 
with an anti-fog coating on refrigerator doors, eliminating the need 
for door heaters for icing or fogging; night curtains on refrigerators 
to conserve energy while keeping product at the appropriate temperature 
when stores are closed; LED lighting in all chilled cases.

“On average, our stores use 30 percent less energy than a typical 
supermarket, which helps our customers save money while also 
helping the environment,” said Tim Mason, CEO of Fresh & Easy 
a few years ago. “We’ve worked hard to make sure we are thoughtful 
in the impact we have on the environment and we’re excited to 
continue to innovate in this area.”

Almost certain to be of greatest concern to 
most residents will be the fate of Taylor’s 
Meats. In a conversation with Mr. Taylor late Friday, he indicated 
that he “didn’t want to give up” and that he definitely did not want 
to move out of Sierra Madre. He suggested that he would probably 
look for another site in town. Mr. Taylor, who has been operating 
his business in Sierra Madre for more than 47 years was aware that 
the site was slated for development by the owners for some time. 
He noted that the current owners of the property, The Montecito 
Development Group had been very considerate in all of their dealings 
with him. 


Photograph of conceptual drawing of the new facility. The plans were submitted by Adolph Ziemba Aia and Associates Inc. of Burbank.


Rosemead Store

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3208

Invites the Public

To

MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONIES 

At

Sierra Madre Pioneer Cemetery

 Monday May 28, 2012

 11 a.m.

 Speaker Former Mayor MaryAnn McGillivary

 Refreshments and Sandwiches to follow


LETTER CARRIERS COLLECT 17.000 POUNDS OF FOOD


The staff of the Sierra Madre Post Office coordinated a very successful food drive last week. They 
collected 17,000 pounds of canned food, 2,000 pounds more than last years. Residents filled bags 
that were distributed earlier in the week for food for the needy. Last Saturday, as carriers delivered 
the mail, they picked up the filled bags and brought them back to the station.

 The Christadelphian Southern California Boys and Girls Club volunteers (pictured above) 
unloaded,separated and packed the cans in boxes. 

 All can goods will go to the Foothill Unity Food Bank in Monrovia. 

 Local businesses provided support for the carriers with food and drink to eat while they collected 
the food. Donors included The Only Place in Town, Burger Continental, Albertson's, Podley Properties, 
Village Pizzeria and Sierra Madre Pizza, 

Starbucks, Beantown and Prudential Realty.

The carriers would love to thank Sierra Madre for their wonderful support for our 2012 Food Drive.

 The drive was part of a National Letter Carrier Drive to help feed hungry families. 

This Week’s Highlights:

Calendar Page 2

Sierra Madre News Page 3

San Gabriel Valley Page 4

Arcadia Page 6

Monrovia/Duarte Page 7

Education and Youth Page 8

Good Food and Drink Page 9

Arts & Entertainment Page 10

The World Around Us Page 11

The Good Life Page 12

Homes & Property Page 13

Sports Page 14

Legal Notices Pgs. 18-21

Niko and Friends Café 
900 Valley View #6, Pasadena, CA 
Almost in Sierra Madre – we are in the East End! 
On the N Michillinda/Montecito Corner 
Monday to Friday: 7 am to 6 pm. Saturday: 8:30 am to 1:30 pm, Closed on Sunday 
626-510-6151 
.... 
www.NikoandFriendscafe.com 
No Gimmicks! 
Just Good Coffee! 
Arf, woof, woof! 
My dad and I like coming to Niko’s for Coffee! 
Read The Paper Online At: www.mtnviewsnews.com