Nearly five years after Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Market first opened in the U.S., the British-owned grocer is temporarily closing 12 stores.

The Hemet and south Ontario stores are among 12 under-performing markets scheduled to temporarily close in coming weeks. The company hopes to reopen when economic conditions improve. Seven stores in California — Ontario, Hemet, Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Bakersfield, Baldwin Park and Fresno — are scheduled to shutter. One in Las Vegas and four in Phoenix are also expected to close.

Owned by British retail giant Tesco, Fresh and Easy entered the U.S. market in 2007, when traditional supermarkets were struggling and laying off workers.