Tesco PLC has called a three-month hiatus on its Fresh & Easy store opening schedule in the U.S. to evaluate operations, reports Forbes/Thomson Financial News.

Writing on his Internet blog, marketing director for the Fresh & Easy business Simon Uwins said the company will take a three-month break from openings to allow the business to settle down.

"The next three months will allow us to accelerate this process, before we restart what's been described as an opening program on steroids," he said.

A Tesco spokesman told Thomson Financial News that the three-month break was always planned and that the company is still on target to open around 200 stores by early next year.

The spokesman added that the company is "pleased with the way [the U.S. operations] are going."

Tesco opened its first store in the U.S. in November last year.