SUPERVALU’S MIDWEST REGION CHAMPAIGN DISTRIBUTION CENTER AWARDED THE 2004 IGA PRESIDENT'S CUP FOR OVERALL IGA PERFORMANCE

CHICAGO, IL - SUPERVALU’s Midwest Region Champaign Distribution Center has been awarded the 2004 IGA President’s Cup for Overall IGA Performance. SUPERVALU Champaign Distribution Center President Mark Anderson accepted the prestigious award on behalf of the company on March 16th at IGA’s 2004 Global Summit in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

The IGA President’s Cup Awards are given each year to two licensed distribution centers; one that exhibits the greatest IGA development, the other, the greatest overall IGA performance. Included in the judging of these awards is the increase of IGA Retail sales from last year, the net increase in total IGA retail square footage, the number of supermarkets added to the IGA system, the IGA Operational Assessment rating, IGA Brand support, Hometown Proud involvement and participation in IGA events.

Over the past year, SUPERVALU’s Champaign Distribution Center had a 14.9 percent increase in retail sales, and a nearly 400,000 foot increase in total IGA retail square footage, and nearly doubled the number of stores with Five-Star assessment ratings. The distribution center’s heavy emphasis on IGA Brand support also led to a 9.5 percent increase in IGA SKU’s carried.

“Always there should be high marks given for dedication and quality performance," said Dr. Thomas Haggai, chairman and CEO of IGA. "Going all the way back to the beginning, SUPERVALU has been totally dedicated in their support of the stores we license. We are proud of the diligence Mark Anderson and his team at SUPERVALU’s Champaign division have displayed over the past year and applaud them for their impressive accomplishments."

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 4,000 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, supported by 36 distribution companies and more the 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 of the United States and more than 40 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents.