The weekend story that Tesco had “got it wrong in the US” made for great headlines but didn’t reflect the bigger picture.

Tim Mason, the boss of Tesco’s Fresh & Easy chain, admitted to perhaps underestimating US food shoppers’ focus on price, promiscuous buying habits and love of promotions.

But it would be wrong to assume from his comments that Fresh & Easy has been derailed and is now mired in crisis.

It’s worth remembering that Mason has traditionally been one of Tesco’s biggest consumer champions.

He’s fought more than one battle to ensure the big grocer hasn’t adopted strategies that would alienate it from core shoppers. Given his forthright style, it’s no surprise that he should acknowledge imperfections and be keen to rectify them.

But aside from drawing conclusions based on Mason’s personal style and track record, the available facts about Fresh & Easy – and admittedly they’re still limited – don’t give cause for undue concern.

In last month’s Christmas trading update Tesco reported that Fresh & Easy was “coping well with a severe downturn” on the West Coast and like-for-like growth was “strongly double-digit” in the 28 stores open for more than a year. OK, there are 114 stores now, so the picture isn’t complete, but it doesn’t indicate a business heading for Nowheresville.

It can be assumed that having recognised the need to “get down and dirty on price”, Mason is doing exactly that and moving quickly to adapt to customer preferences.

Another reason not to write off Fresh & Easy just yet is that its debut prompted Wal-Mart to launch its own rival fascia, Marketside. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Wal-Mart’s faith in Fresh & Easy is a sign of its eventual success.

Big day looms for DSGi

Tuesday is a red letter day for DSGi, when it will update on strategy and big up the benefits of remodelled stores.

The electricals group suffered a 10 per cent fall in comparable sales over Christmas. It is budgeting for negative like-for-likes this year and profitability is under pressure.

Remodelled stores provide one glimmer of hope. They notched up sales 15 to 25 per cent ahead of DSGi’s other shops over Christmas. The first Currys Megastore is expected to generate sales exceeding£30m this year.

If DSGi provides good news next week, a rights issue may get a better City reception than is otherwise likely.

George MacDonald is deputy editor of Retail Week