Pressured by investors, Tesco filed for bankruptcy and sold the chain to Yucaipa. Tesco invested about $1.6 billion in the venture before deciding to bail out. Fresh & Easy's woes have come as other newcomers to Southern California have come and gone. In late 2013, Assi Natural Market closed less than a year after its much-publicized debut in Irvine. The chain had touted itself as an Asian version of Whole Foods Market. Virginia-based The Fresh Market pulled out of California this year. The European-inspired marketplace had one store open less than a year in Laguna Hills. But the biggest failed venture has been Haggen. Earlier this year, the Pacific Northwest grocer entered the fragmented Southern California grocery market after buying 146 Albertsons and Vons stores. Eleven of its 83 California locations were in Orange County. The rapid expansion into uncharted territory proved a daunting task.