Wal-Mart's new Marketside goes up against Tesco

Wal-Mart, the largest US retailer, will be opening the first of its new Marketside small grocery stores in the fall, with four stores in the Phoenix area that will be competing directly with the Tesco's Fresh & Easy chain. The Marketside stores at 15,000 square feet are nearly a third the size of the retailer's current smallest-format grocery store, the 45,000 -to- 48,000 square foot Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.

The Marketside banner will be the first new banner in the US for Wal-Mart in about 20 years. The stores will feature a limited assortment of basic grocery items and a selection of more upscale specialty and natural foods dry grocery items. The stores also will feature fresh meats and produce. The small-format grocery markets will have a selection of fresh, prepared foods' items similar to what Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market format stores.

Addtionally, Wal-Mart has trademarked two "brand" names, "City Thyme" and "Field & Vine" which will most likely be private label brand names the retailer will use for grocery and fresh foods' products in the new banner stores.