JOSEPH ROMEO NAMED IGA 2002 INTERNATIONAL RETAILER OF THE YEAR

CHICAGO, IL – Joseph Romeo, owner of Foodland IGA North Adelaide in North Adelaide, South Australia, has been named one of seven IGA 2002 International Retailers of the Year.

Romeo was chosen for the annual award from the 4,400 IGA Retailers worldwide. A committee of Food Industry experts selected Romeo based on his exceptional performance in areas ranging from leadership and innovation to hometown involvement and employee development. He will honored at IGA's 2002 International Retailers of the Year Awards Dinner Ceremony, to be held on Saturday, May 4, during the Food Marketing Institute's Supermarket Industry Exposition in Chicago.

"Joseph's exemplary performance within the last year has been an inspiration to us all," said Dr. Thomas Haggai, chairman and CEO of IGA. "Working closely with his family and placing strong emphasis on community involvement, Joseph has demonstrated the very definition of Hometown Proud. We're proud of his efforts and are very pleased to honor him with this award."

The Romeo Family first started in the supermarket industry in 1987. Romeo became an IGA member in 1997 and currently owns three IGA Supermarkets in South Australia. Under his direction, Foodland IGA North Adelaide has generated a 160 percent growth in a four-year period. In an effort to reinvest in the business, Romeo's future plans for Foodland IGA North Adelaide include the addition of state of the art touch screens on each checkout terminal, as well as expansion of the store's fresh food range and bulk foods sections.

Romeo also contributes to a number of area charities and non-profit organizations, including the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide Primary School and the Adelaide Zoo, to name a few.

IGA, the only global supermarketer based in the United States, is the world's largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $21 billion per year. The Alliance includes more than 4,400 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, supported by 37 distribution companies and more than 55 major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items. IGA ranks in the top 10 in world food supermarketing. IGA has operations in 48 states and 41 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents.