TIM HENDERSON RECEIVES TOP
RETAILER HONORS

CHICAGO, IL - IGA has announced that Tim Henderson, owner of Valentine, Neb.-based Henderson’s IGA, was named IGA 2008 USA International Retailer of the Year during the IGA Awards of Excellence Dinner Ceremony held Saturday evening March 29 at the IGA Global Summit in Carefree, Ariz.

Henderson was chosen as an International Retailer of the Year—the highest retailer award bestowed by IGA—after a lengthy selection process that began in September of last year. At that time IGA’s Licensed Distribution Center partners were asked to submit for candidacy only those retailers who had achieved Five Star status under IGA’s Assessment Program. From those submitted, eight candidates, including Henderson, were chosen as IGA 2008 USA Retailer of the Year finalists. In January of 2008, Henderson and two other retailers were then named IGA 2008 USA Retailers of the Year. From those three, Henderson was chosen as the IGA USA International Retailer of the Year for having achieved exemplary excellence in retailing and advancement of the IGA Brand.

Henderson’s IGA, which has been in business as an IGA in Valentine for more than 50 years, employs a number of innovative marketing and branding techniques designed to better their customers’ shopping experiences. Some of the more popular innovations include an outdoor produce tent sale and the annual “Made in Nebraska” display of local products, employing an in-store chef, and a “no person waiting in line” checkout policy. Additionally, Henderson is extremely active in the Valentine community having participated in and developed programs in support of education, the Cherry County Hospital, and local families in need.

“Tim Henderson’s devotion to the IGA Alliance – and more importantly his customers and community – is legendary in the grocery world,” IGA USA CEO Mark Batenic said. “In the 50 years that Henderson’s IGA has been in business, the store and the Henderson family have become an integral part of the Valentine community. We’re extremely proud of Tim’s accomplishments and honored to call him an IGA retailer. Tim’s extreme devotion to his customers, community and independent retailing made him stand out in our prestigious group of candidates, earning him IGA’s top honor of International Retailer of the Year.”

“For more than half a century now this store has been at the center of the Valentine community, and we ensure that it stays that way by working hard every day to serve our customers,” Henderson said. “This award would not have been possible without the help of our team at Henderson’s IGA, and of course, the devotion of our community. We will continue to meet our customers' changing needs by developing the kind of programs that will make Henderson’s IGA a unique shopping experience and true community center.”
       

IGA is the world’s largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $21 billion per year. The Alliance includes nearly 4,000 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, supported by 36 distribution companies and more than 55 major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items. IGA has operations in 46 of the United States and more than 40 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents.