Photo by Lindsay William-Ross/LAist

It's been a few weeks since word began to circulate that Fresh & Easy was "likely" to sell off or close down their stores, but the UK-parented grocery chain has remained largely mum on the subject.

Today they've sent out an e-mail message to the members of their loyalty program, Fresh & Easy Friends, to take on the rumors head-on.

F&E explains that their parent company, Tesco, is "conducting a strategic review" of their stores, and they are "looking at all options to find the best outcome" for the stores. The store admits they don't know what that outcome will be, or if Tesco is indeed going to bail and sell off their interest in the U.S. chain based in SoCal.

The one point they want to drive home, though, is that, at least for now, they aren't going to close any of their stores. So in the meantime, while the big wigs are sorting out their bottom lines, you can still cruise their aisles and get your fill of F&E's foodstuffs.

Fresh & Easy opened their first stores in 2007 in California, on a mission to, in part, enter areas considered "food deserts," where access was limited or non-existent to fresh foods. Though they soon began to enter more competitive markets, the chain has had a wobbly tenure amidst SoCal grocery powerhouses, from the big guys like Ralphs and Vons to the more niche-oriented Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

Over the years, Fresh & Easy has worked hard to change initial impressions their stores were short on selection, and has expanded their ready-made food offerings, as well as brought in more mainstream name brands. Current fans of the chain can continue to enjoy their shopping while they can, and maybe the chain can get some new "friends" in the interim.

Here's the e-mail to their Friends members in full: