Fresh & Easy Takes No. 3 Spot on Hot 100 Retailers List

Fresh & Easy's massive expansion plan is paying off, landing it in the No. 3 spot on the STORES Hot 100 Retailers list. The annual list, published by the National Retail Foundation's STORES Magazine, highlights retail companies that reported the greatest increase in domestic sales between 2009 and 2010.

British retailer Tesco launched Fresh & Easy in late 2007, with the first store opening its doors in Hemet, Calif. Since that time the company has grown its profile to consist of 164 stores, growing 13.1 percent in 2010 alone. In addition, the list pegs the El Segundo, Calif.-based company's 2010 v. 2009 sales growth at 37.8 percent.

West Des Moines, Iowas-based Hy-Vee also popped up on the just-released list, taking the No. 65 spot.

Hy-Vee, which operates retail stores primarily in the Midwest, saw its sale grow 6.6 percent and notched 3.5-percent store growth (2010 v. 2009), according to Washington-based STORES Magazine.