The Pundit recently fielded questions from international investers who were part of a conference call hosted by Citi European Food Retail Team.
Here is the invitation that went out:
The Citi European Food Retail Team invites you to participate in a conference call to discuss the progress of Tesco’s new US grocery chain, Fresh & Easy.
Our special guest will be Jim Prevor — otherwise known as the ‘Perishable Pundit’ — who will be taking us through his impressions of Fresh & Easy as a consumer and as an industry insider. He has some firm views on what is working well and what does not seem to be working so far… There will be an opportunity for Q&A.
For those of you not acquainted with Jim — recently described by the Sunday Telegraph as “one of America’s most influential commentators on the grocery market” — you should check out his website at http://www.perishablepundit.com/.
If you click on the following link you will see over 50 articles he has written on various topics related to “Tesco comes to America” — http://www.perishablepundit.com/index.php?hot=tesco. Jim’s extensive industry experience is summarised at: http://www.perishablepundit.com/biographicalsketch.php
Please join us for what is sure to be a fascinating discussion — Fresh & Easy is likely to continue to be one of the key news stories in the sector for 2008.
The call was intriguing. British investors and investment banks have made so much money betting on Tesco for so long that it is hard for them to conceive that Tesco might not succeed in America.
Our job was to broaden the possibilities they might consider. We think we did so.
If you are interested in listening to the tape, it will be available through the weekend and through Tuesday, February, 26, 2008. Here is the call-in information:
Please note that a replay facility should be available for one week following the call. The details will be as follows:
Encore Replay Access Number: 34553929 #
International Dial In Number: +44 (0) 1452 55 00 00
UK Free Call Dial In Number: 0800 953 1533
UK Local Dial In Number: 0845 245 5205
Remember, if you are calling from the US, you need to dial 011 to get an international call through, and you don’t dial the zero in the parenthesis.
