Nielsen Online Provides Buzz Levels for Tesco’s Fresh & Easy Markets

With more than more than 60 Tesco’s Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets now open, consumers are talking online about this new entrant into the U.S. grocery segment. Nielsen Online provides the following relevant data from our BuzzMetrics service.
 

• According to Nielsen Online, buzz levels for Fresh & Easy peaked in November 2008, up 96 percent from the preceding months, when the store opened more than 10 locations across California and Nevada.  Several more stores opened in December, all garnering healthy buzz activity. Conversation drivers included competitors, shopped items, and discussion around price, product freshness and convenience.
• Tesco, driven by discussion around Fresh & Easy, led in buzz compared to competitors Whole Foods, the world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods, and specialty retailer Trader Joe’s,  with buzz volume 60 percent and 52 percent higher respectively. 
• Fifty-nine percent of sentiment toward Fresh & Easy was positive with consumers citing competitive pricing and convenience as purchase drivers. Consumers generally view Fresh & Easy as a supplement rather than a replacement for their current grocers, and express a willingness to add Fresh & Easy to their shopping rotation to stock up on meat, inexpensive organics and other convenience-oriented products that my otherwise prove cost prohibitive in the current economic climate. 
• Thirty percent expressed negative or mixed sentiment toward Fresh & Easy. These consumers typically compared Fresh & Easy to the product assortment and prices of Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Wal-Mart. 
• Shopped items, in particular, gave consumers something to talk about, including meat (27 percent), prepared foods (17 percent) and dairy (16 percent) and fruits and vegetables (16 percent). Consumers were enticed by affordable specialty items like hormone-free meat, cage-free eggs, preservative-free bread and fresh-squeezed juice as well as inexpensive organics.  Many shoppers, mainly commuters and young professionals, enjoyed the benefits of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meals. 

 
Jessica Hogue, Research Director, Nielsen Online, commented, “It will be interesting to follow Tesco’s continued expansion in the competitive U.S. market – especially during challenging economic times. While initial interest and discussion has been strong as Fresh & Easy expands to reach underserved markets and busy consumers, time will tell if the offering builds loyalty or affects the competitive landscape.”
 

Source data to: Nielsen Online, BuzzMetrics

Press Contact: Sandra Parrelli; Sandra.Parrelli@nielsen.com; 646-654-7772

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About Nielsen Online:

Nielsen Online, a service of The Nielsen Company, delivers comprehensive, independent measurement and analysis of online audiences, advertising, video, consumer-generated media, word of mouth, commerce and consumer behavior, and includes products previously marketed under the Nielsen//NetRatings and Nielsen BuzzMetrics brands. With high quality, technology-driven products and services, Nielsen Online enables clients to make informed business decisions regarding their Internet, digital and marketing strategies. For more information, please visit www.nielsen-online.com.

About The Nielsen Company:

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), online intelligence (NetRatings and BuzzMetrics), trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.