Fresh & Easy selling 2 Las Vegas stores

Fresh & Easy will close two Las Vegas Valley stores within the next week and then sell them, a company spokesman said on Friday.

The two locations are at Tropicana and Jones in Las Vegas, and Centennial and Simmons in North Las Vegas.

Company spokesman Brendan Wonnacott said the company is shifting its business model and selling locations that don’t fit the new format.

About 30 workers are affected. Wonnacott said the company is working to place as many as it can in other locations but said there will be some job losses.

Wonnacott described the new business model as an “all-new fresh food concept, ditching our old design and layout for a more modern and open approach.”

Product selection has been revamped with a focus on fresh, natural and organics, he said in an email.

“We added in elements like a hot food bar where customers can order pizzas, soup and hot sandwiches. We unveiled the new look and concept in December and work continues to refine and improve the concept,” he said.

Wonnacott declined to give an exact dollar figure but called the upgrades “significant and ongoing.” All 17 Las Vegas stores have had some sort of upgrade with more planned for two locations in coming weeks, he said.

Separately, the company recently launched a service called Click & Collect across Las Vegas. The service allows customers to shop online at shop.freshandeasy.com. and pick up items in their store later. It launched at the Fort Apache and Desert Inn location in January and expanded to all stores — except the two that are closing — last week.

Wonnacott said the service is being tested in Las Vegas before wider introduction in California and Arizona.

He added that Fresh & Easy is working with ADMI, the firm behind the design of the Apple Store, to design “the Fresh & Easy store of the future.” He said the concept that will make Fresh & Easy “the only fresh food convenience store.”