BETSY TOOKER NAMED IGA 2003 INTERNATIONAL RETAILER OF THE YEAR

CHICAGO, IL – Betsy Tooker, owner of Top's IGA Supermarket in Plantsville , Conn. , has been named one of seven IGA 2003 International Retailers of the Year.

Tooker was chosen for the annual award from the 4,400 IGA Retailers worldwide. A committee of Food Industry experts selected Tooker based on her exceptional performance in areas ranging from leadership and innovation to hometown involvement and employee development. She was honored at IGA's 2003 International Retailers of the Year Awards Dinner Ceremony, held on Tuesday evening, March 11, during the 2003 IGA Global Summit in Palm Springs , Calif.

"Betsy Tooker is an exemplary leader with a strong entrepreneurial spirit," said Dr. Thomas Haggai, chairman and CEO of IGA. "She began sweeping floors at the store as a teenager and worked her way up to owner. As our first female International Retailer of the Year, Betsy is responsible for a revolutionary milestone in the IGA Family."

Since joining IGA in 1995, Top's IGA has undergone a major expansion and has had a steady increase in profits each year.

"I have a passion for Top's," said Tooker. "I've watched it grow like a mother has watched a child grow for more than 30 years. As a woman in business in this decade, I find myself dealing with issues I never would have dreamed of back in the days when I stood at the register waiting for customers to walk through the door. This award proves you don't have to be a man or in a chain to succeed as a grocery store owner. I am extremely proud to have been named an IGA International Retailer of the Year."