Fresh & Easy Reducing Store Water Consumption by 30%

EnviroTower System Also Significantly Reduces Energy Usage

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has embarked on an ambitious plan to reduce water consumption in its stores by 30% through the use of EnviroTower water conditioning technology. The EnviroTower system has already been installed in 37 Fresh & Easy locations and will be incorporated into all new stores, including the nine Fresh & Easy stores opening in California next month.

Reducing energy and water usage has been a major goal for Fresh & Easy. On average, Fresh & Easy stores use 30% less energy than a typical supermarket and the company's refrigeration systems were using roughly 850,000 gallons of water per year. With the installation of the EnviroTower system, that usage has dropped to less than 600,000 gallons per year. Similar refrigeration systems typically use 2 to 3 million gallons of water per year. The EnviroTower system also helps with energy efficiency, reducing the amount of energy Fresh & Easy uses on refrigeration by up to 5 percent – helping save customers money while helping the environment.

"Incorporating EnviroTower's technology into our stores makes sense, not just as part of our commitment to the environment, but also to help us save money so we can keep our prices low for our customers," said Steve Hagen, Fresh & Easy Director of Procurement and Engineering. "Conserving water is a very important issue in California, Nevada and Arizona. We are happy to play our part in reducing our consumption of this valuable and limited resource."

EnviroTower provides a more reliable, effective and economical alternative to traditional chemical water treatment for refrigeration and air conditioning cooling systems. EnviroTower dramatically reduces fresh water use through a physical water conditioning system – meaning water that is normally chemically treated and discharged to municipal sewage is used more efficiently. By keeping the water in the system clean and reducing harmful buildup, EnviroTower also improves energy efficiency.

"We are excited to see that our technology is as effective in the food retail environment as it is in larger commercial and institutional applications. Fresh & Easy's decision to move forward with EnviroTower is a testimony to its commitment to the environment," said Paul Wickberg, EnviroTower's CEO. "Our technology can save retailers a significant amount of water and energy, especially considering that up to 50% of a food retail facility's energy use and 80% of the water use consumption is from the refrigeration and cooling system."

About Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market

Fresh & Easy operates more than 150 stores in California, Arizona and Nevada. In addition to wholesome, fresh prepared meals, meats and produce, Fresh & Easy offers everyone's favorite national brand products and household items, all at unbelievably low prices. The grocer's popular fresh&easy brand products contain no artificial colors, flavors or added trans fats and use preservatives only when absolutely necessary.

Fresh & Easy uses LED lighting in external signs and freezer cases, offers customer recycling in every store, and uses advanced refrigeration and freezer units to cut back on energy usage. The company also recycles or reuses all of its display packaging, sending the majority back to its distribution center's on-site recycling facility.

Fresh & Easy opened its first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified store last year and is a pilot member of the LEED Volume Certification Program, demonstrating its commitment to build sustainable buildings. The company has also voluntarily joined the California Climate Action Registry and The Climate Registry to disclose its greenhouse gas emissions. At its distribution center in Riverside, CA, the company invested $13 million in a solar roof installation, which at 500,000 square feet is one of California's largest.