Fresh and Easy grocery chain to shutter all of its stores

TORRANCE, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresh & Easy will shutter all 97 of its remaining stores in California, Arizona and Nevada and cease operations after nearly a decade of struggling to catch on with consumers.

The Daily Breeze newspaper reports (http://bit.ly/1QX7mNE) the grocery chain, headquartered in Torrance, California, announced Wednesday that all 3,000 of its employees will be laid off.

The company closed about 50 of its stores in March.

Fresh & Easy made a big splash in 2007, backed by British supermarket giant Tesco, which saw an opportunity to enter the U.S. market.

California-based The Yucaipa Cos. bought the chain out of bankruptcy in 2013.

The newspaper says the first layoffs are expected a week from Friday.