Seriously?

I'm cringing when I'm reading news reports about Fresh & Easy, partly because the Pundit is pummelling the British chain to a bloody pulp with every story. It's not a pretty sight. Here is more coverage from the Times Online's story "Analyst questions Tesco's Fresh & Easy U.S. Venture.

Fresh fears over the health of Tesco's fledgling business in the US have emerged amid claims that suppliers are “disenchanted” and had no idea that the supermarket giant was going to call a three-month halt to its expansion drive.

Jim Prevor, one of the most influential commentators on the supermarket sector in the US, added that Tesco's Fresh & Easy chain needed a major strategic overhaul if it was ever going to be a hit with American shoppers.

He told The Times: “They are doing horribly. There's no question they have made some mistakes and they are still making them.”

TK: If nothing else, Fresh & Easy will want to prove Jim wrong. He is their No. 1 critic right now. Prevor doesn't even throw them a bone, like: "They've got a smart team, they will figure this thing out." Or "They've been here only a few months; let's see how they are doing in a year before we pass judgement." What's more, he said some suppliers are becoming disenchanted with Tesco and some may "walk away." Show me the suppliers who sign their name on that statement, and I'll show you some loyal followers of the Pundit.