Fresh & Easy LLC filed for bankruptcy Friday, the second grocery chain backed by supermarket mogul Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. buyout firm to seek chapter 11 protection in recent months, Dow Jones Newswires reported on Friday. Fresh & Easy tumbled into bankruptcy in Wilmington, Del., the company's second chapter 11 filing in two years. Last week, the company shut down its 97 stores and said that it was hopeful that it could find a purchaser that would restart the business. Fresh & Easy's bankruptcy filing comes as the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., owned by Yucaipa and Mount Kellett Capital Management, navigates its second chapter 11 filing, selling and shutting down stores. Since filing for bankruptcy in July, A&P has sold 159 of 296 stores.
