US billionaire Ron Burkle's Yucaipa investment vehicle agrees to take on 150 stores and 4,000 staff
Tesco has finally negotiated an exit from its failed expansion into the US by lending US billionaire Ron Burkle £80m to take away its loss-making Fresh & Easy chain.
After more than nine months searching for a buyer, Burkle's Yucaipa investment vehicle has agreed to take on 150 Fresh & Easy stores as well as 4,000 staff and a vast distribution centre and production facility east of Los Angeles.
The deal will cost Tesco £150m in total, including the loan, payoffs for about 400 permanent staff and the closure of about 50 stores not included in the deal – taking the total cost of the humiliating episode to nearly £2bn. The future for a further 600 staff is unclear, with some expats likely to return to Tesco in the UK while others are part-time staff and will be let go.
Philip Clarke, the UK supermarket's chief executive, said: "The decision we are announcing today represents the best outcome for Tesco shareholders and Fresh & Easy's stakeholders. It offers us an orderly and efficient exit from the US market, while protecting the jobs of more than 4,000 colleagues."
Tesco said that the deal would mean there was no ongoing financial exposure in the US. However, under the agreement, which is expected to be finalised by the end of the year, Tesco will hold warrants that entitle it to a 32.5% stake in the holding company that will run Fresh & Easy, should certain performance criteria be met. They could be exchanged for a cash sum in the future.
Ron Burkle, managing partner of Yucaipa, who founded the Ralphs and Food4Less supermarket chains in the US, indicated that he planned to continue to run Fresh & Easy as a standalone chain.
He said: "Fresh & Easy is a tremendous foundation. Tesco should be applauded for giving their customers an affordable, healthy, convenient shopping experience. Its dedicated employees and great base of customers give us a solid starting point to complete Tesco's vision with some changes that we think will make it even more relevant to today's consumer."
He said Yucaipa planned to build the chain into a "next-generation convenience retail experience". However, there has been speculation that Burkle wants to use the Fresh & Easy stores to relaunch his Wild Oats brand, which he sold to rival Whole Foods Market in 2007.
The deal is good news for Tesco after weeks of speculation that it would be unable to find a buyer for its US business. The trip over the Atlantic, begun in 2007 with ambitious plans for thousands of stores, has proved very costly for Tesco with trading losses and investment reaching some £1.8bn.
The failure has not only meant problems for Tesco but tarnished the reputation of former chief executive Sir Terry Leahy, who was previously held up as a shining example of British retail success.
It also reflected badly on Tim Mason, the Tesco marketing supremo who was relocated to the US to run Fresh & Easy and build it into a chain the same size as Tesco UK. He was made redundant earlier this year with more than £2m.
It was not clear on Tuesday night if Tesco would have to make further write downs after completing the deal.
Selling off the US business is good news for Clarke, who has been attempting to get rid of poorly performing overseas assets in order to concentrate on Tesco's problems at home.
In April, the supermarket reported its first fall in annual profits for 20 years as its chains both abroad and at home suffered during a global downturn.
The ongoing losses in the US were blamed for a squeeze on expenditure in the UK which meant that stores began to look tired and customer service suffered. Tesco has also suffered from a series of PR disasters including revelations that some of its burgers contained horse meat.
Tesco recently revealed it was in negotiations to put its Chinese business into a new joint venture with the state-owned Chain Resources Enterprise. The deal, which would cost Tesco an estimated £1.5bn, would merge its 131 stores into CRE's Vanguard chain, which has nearly 3,000 outlets.
Article Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk
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