The research on the writeup was poor.F&E will be a big hit.All Tesco needs to do is maintain standards,thats all.

Bret Stanley, Houston, Texas

Whats wrong with British Supermarkets coming to the USA, NOTHING!!! I would love to see them down here in Florida to compete with the local expensive junk food markets - epecially if they sold British bacon instead of the scrawney fat ridden stuff they sell here. Canadian bacon is a hoax. How about a few pork pies, etc. The choice of food here in the US is very poor and the quality of fruit and vegetables are unspeakable. Haven't seen a good Herring or Kippers sold in the fish counter here, ever!!!!!

Ian, North Fort Myers, Florida.

To create a British experience when it comes to buying foodstuffs in the US, Tesco or Sainsbury should not forget that all five senses must be appeased. Before the advent of air conditioning, the smell of cheeses in Sainsburys was tantalizing, especially in summer when the marble countertops were cool to the touch. As we neard the bakery on a summer afternoon the smell of new bread just out ot the oven was almost more than a boy could bear. Even after the hot tin loaf had endured the ride home, the loaf was still warm and a buttered crust was a gormet deligh. Fish in the fish shop smelled like fresh fish proving that but a few hours ago it was still waiting to be caught. Times have changed and not all for the best. For my money foods still need to smell as good as they look. Prepackaging in this regard is a downer. But the idea is still is still one for Tesco or Sainsburys to bear in mind to maximize the appeal of their wares , even when selling them here, even to non Brits

Donald Cowan, Architect, Nashville, TN

Australia is crying out for TESCO!!!!!!!

geri, Melbourne, Australia

Would like to see Tesco in the NY-NJ area. M&S once owned a local supermarket chain - Kings, but failed to impose M&S standards and only sold M&S products around Christmas time. Consequently the business failed and was sold back to a US chain several years ago. Been living in the US nearly 12 years and still miss the food quality, cleanliness and customer service of British supermarkets. In my opinion Tesco could make a great success of F&E in this area and I look seeing them here soon. We have a Trader Joes, but it cannot compare to a Tesco or Sainsbury.

Chris , New Jersey, USA

As a former resident of London for many years, this article caught my eye so I felt compelled to read it - I must say that I agree with the majority of peoples' opinion on here who are critical of the writer's comments. In all my time in the US, I have never heard a mention of British Leyland - I have been asking a few people ( Americans) & they have never heard of them - so I think that attemtp at humour is pathetic in the extreme. I point this out merely to prove how badly researched this article was - maybe he just threw it together at the LA country club between sips of Pimms!! He simply has no idea of the situation of the average US city regarding supermarkets. For the first two years of living here, it was one of the things I missed most about England - the lack of a well laid out decently stocked supermarket. I am delighted to know that the British experience of everyday shopping is coming to the US - it is almost certain to succeed if it is based on the UK Tesco theme.

Kevin, New York, USA

I just visited the new Fresh & Easy in the Glassell/ Echo Park area of Los Angeles, and I loved the store! Just what a modest person like me needed. After only two days of doing business, the store I visited already is a hit.

Apart from all the suitable offerings, I was impressed by their employees' helpful attitude which I hope will stick long after the newness fades. (A busy Brit employee even took the time to chat with me for a few minutes.) This is important because out here in Southern California, customer service is disgraceful, and the American grocery chains don't seem to care about their customers' experience. I've had enough of lazy, clueless, inattentive clerks and managers who chat and visit with each other while the line of customers waiting to pay stretches back 10 deep at the few cash registers that are open.

The pricing at American-owned stores is outrageous even when one considers the high cost of living in California.

Franco (in California!), La Canada Flintridge, USA / California

Sounds like Boston Market which has many locations in California and sells chicken, turkey, meat loaf, steak and various salads, veggies, breads etc to eat in or to go.

Sam, Ventura, ca

I suspect that Tesco will have another winner.

The writer writes as tho' he was visiting the US in the 70s. Things have changed, a lot.

Stan(expat), Texas, USA

YES, come to Texas, Tesco!!! (See, our names even sound similar.) And, if you would, bring pork pies, Cornish pasties, Beef Wellington, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, and please don't forget the desserts -- Victoria sandwich cake, sticky toffee pudding, and trifle. Some curries and kebabs would be nice, too.

Julia, Abilene, TX USA

Sir Terry: Forget the effete crowd in L.A. Put one in Sacramento, Bakersfield, Fresno and Oakland instead. Your sales will be just fine.

James P, Sacramento, California

I've already emailed them and begged them to come to San Antonio, Texas - a city of 1.25 million and ONE grocery chain plus Wal-Mart. Are you kidding - it'll be the second storming of the Alamo.

Sue, San Antonio, USA/Texas

Perhaps you do not realise that in addition to the film stars and models that are "diet-fixated, calorie-paranoid, carbohydrate-obsessed", L.A. is home to a large and mixed population of more down to earth folks, some of them in much lower socioeconomic straits. It's true that Tesco readymeals pale in comparison to Whole Foods offerings, but not everyone shops in Whole Foods and the mainstream US supermarkets don't have anything at all that compares to readymeals. I wouldn't write the venture off so quickly...

Colombe, London, UK

FYI, we here in Los Angeles aren't all carb-counting vegetarians... Just look to the success of Trader Joe's.

Rico A, Los Angeles, California

Those had better be California wines! :y

Linda, Albany, NY,

Thanks for the highly anecdotal synthesis of Angelenos and our eating habits. I'll try not to feel patronized and point to the market research that Tesco actually did versus the silly assumptions that this article is based on (or upon which this article is based, to use the Queen's English).
Trader Joes, a similar market chain in Southern California has been satisfying this very same market niche for a while and is very successfull. However, they tend to only locate in middle-to-affluent areas. F&E is locating stores in middle-to-underserved neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and has been received with open arms by the many of us who want neither processed frozen food nor raw organic tofu.

Craig Weber, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Tony from WeHo has it absolutely right!

LKitsch, Silverlake, CA, USA

I totally agree with Jumpcut. I'm a healthy, active, athletic resident of Los Angeles and I do not count calories, avoid carbs or even step on a scale for that matter.

Are all you English football hooligans?

I wish the stereotype of Los Angeles being rich, snobby, shallow people would go away quickly and for good.

westsideLA, Playa Del Rey,

Wow, this article is one of the most-poorly-researched repositories of stereotypes and bad advice that I've ever seen on the web, and not just by comparison to reputable news sites but by comparison to loony personal web pages published out of the writer's mother's basement. Why on earth is the Times Online paying Chris Ayres to live in Los Angeles when it seems he gets all his information about the area from reading TMZ.com and other celebrity gossip websites? You can read those from England, too.

Just for the record, there are some demographic distinctions here, but most people in Southern California are pretty much just like people in the rest of the country, except we don't like country music.

Adam Villani, Monterey Park, California, USA

I, for one, am looking very much forward to trying out true national British cuisine: chicken tikka masala, for sure, and that delicious balti dish. Yum! (though I don't think the egg and tomato sandwich will be a big seller.)

And with time I'm sure that we Californians will come to associate Tesco with affordable luxury as well.

Dan McKean, San Diego,

A few things to keep in mind:

Very few people know (or care) that F&E is owned by Tesco...or even what 'Tesco' is.

The locations of these new stores are nearly all in areas of SoCal that have few quality grocers and are overloaded with fast food outlets.

I know the reputation that Tesco has in the UK, but they are to be applauded for taking a "risk" by opening these stores in neighborhoods that desperately need them.

jkm, Pasadena, CA

Chris Ayres is guilty of the same stereotyping he accuses Americans of. LA is not a city of 9 million people full of Paris Hiltons who wouldn't be caught dead eating beef lasagna. That $12 deal sounds amazing and, as an LA resident, I'm eager to try it.

Jumpcut, Los Angeles,

The LA stereotype is just that. One-tenth of one percent of Angelinos conform to the La-La Land image. The rest can be seen lining up for Big Macs and lottery tickets. Take-away meals are the fastest growing segment in the US food business. The Tesco offer will hit the mark for this market by combining an inexpensive, ready-made meal with a bit of a (faux) cultural experience.

dbest, NY, NY

Wow, you really haven't spent much time in LA recently. As West Hollywood resident what lives 1/2 block from Gelson's (and frequents it daily) you may be surprised to know that one of the most popular sections in the market is ready to go meals such as lasagna with mashed potatos, premium beef cuts and roasted chicken. By comparison they have about 5 unattended sushi selections next to the aformentioned ready-to-go meals. Your stereotypical perspective may apply to the 500,000 people in LA that make up the Us, People, EW magazine crowds but you do yourself a disservice by ignoring the 9 million other people that live in Los Angeles County alone and have nothing to do with that lifestyle. In addition, you'll note that not a single one of Tesco's new stores is located on LA's stereotypical Westside but rather in the "Average Joe" Inland Empire and Los Angeles suburbs. May I introduce you to a new concept called "research". Tesco seems to have it down pat.

Tony, West Hollywood, USA/CA

As a specialty food coach, I think they have it exactly right. All the super luxury players are targeting a very small niche. There are tons of products hoping to snag a portion of that pie. But no one is going after the peudo-gourmet, like our friend in Texas, who thinks quality can be done for $12 including a bottle of wine. Mainstream supermarkets have zero slection beyond roasted chicken and sub-sandwiches. I think Tesco has a real shot at changing the retail landscape, although the amount of private label is a big risk since their brand is unknown is the US.
De

Deb Mazzaferro, Sarasota, FL USA

Well, the last time I was in LA, a few months ago, the eating population was divided between the anorexic plant eaters, and the 24-32oz steak crowd seemingly without much in between, and the balance at the heavy end (lit and fig)

Also meals to go are more popular there than here. If Tesco can pander to the slight guilt feelings about the diet many californians actually have, and the embryonic desire to do something about it, along with the habit they have of getting in the car to go and get takeout, I think they will do OK

richard williams, weybridge, surrey

I must agree, "L.A., are you kidding me?"

However, I personally would love to have that "25oz beef lasagna, Caesar salad, ciabatta loaf, and bottle of wine, all for under $12.” How soon will they be coming to Houston, Texas?

Kris Stinson, Spring, TX, USA