Dive Brief: 

• Jim Keyes, who retired from the top job at 7-Eleven in 2005 , will take over the CEO role at Fresh & Easy as soon as the acquisition is complete.
• Keyes was one of several industry executives rumored to be in consideration for the job.
• Some 150 stores in the Fresh & Easy chain are part of the acquisition. Another 50 stores will be closed as early as today, a company spokesperson said.

Dive Insight:

There's no official word from new owner Yucaipa about the fate of the stores. But Keyes; appointment is widely seen as evidence that Fresh & Easy will slant further toward a convenience-store model. The Fresh & Easy approach, heavy on prepared foods, never caught on in the states. Still, we'll admit to a little disappointment that the rumor that Yucaipa would use the stores to revivie the Wild Oats brand (Yucaipa owns it) now seems very unlikely to come true.