IGA APPOINTS NEW VICE PRESIDENT

Douglas Fritsch Named Vice President,
U.S. Chief Growth Officer

CHICAGO, IL - IGA today announced Douglas Fritsch has been named Vice President, U.S. Chief Growth Officer. Fritsch, who begins his appointment immediately, will report directly to IGA Chairman and CEO Dr. Thomas S. Haggai.

The candidate’s appointment is the result of a nationwide job search led by President of the IGA Coca-Cola Institute, Paulo Goelzer, Ph.D., and Director of Human Resources, Pat Smietana, which resulted in the acquisition of more than a hundred resumes and the conducting of extensive interviews by IGA’s key constituents.

Fritsch begins his tenure with IGA in what is anticipated to be an intensively strong growth period. Utilizing his many years of experience, Fritsch will further develop IGA’s field team, work to make core marketing events more effective, and maximize the support of manufacturers/vendors to IGA’s valued retailers.

Fritsch began his career in the food industry with Jewel Food Stores and then in 1974 moved in to the White Hen Pantry division. Over the next 30 years he advanced steadily in the White Hen corporation, holding positions ranging from regional management to vice president of franchise operations, and ultimately, senior vice president of operations for the entire company. Fritsch obtained his MBA from Lake Forest School of Management. In 1991, he was chosen by White Hen’s executive leadership team to attend the eight-week intensive graduate business program at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

“As I looked at the career accomplishments of Doug Fritsch, it became apparent that it would be difficult to find a better match of professional skills for what we anticipate IGA to need for the upcoming strong growth period,” Haggai said. “Bob Robertson, considered the founder of White Hen, is a valued friend. It was then no great surprise to me that, upon hearing IGA’s intent to appoint Fritsch as vice president, Robertson expressed how Fritsch met challenge after challenge at White Hen on his way to achieving one of the ultimate leadership positions in the company. Based on this and many other accomplishments, we welcome with the highest confidence Doug Fritsch to the IGA Family.”

“I was impressed with the full range of roles Fritsch occupied in his long tenure with Jewel and White Hen, and the insight that experience has given him into every aspect of the retail business,” Goelzer said. “Because White Hen was not a self distributing company, this experience includes building relationships between retailer and distribution—a requirement essential to the IGA pattern. With this balanced background, Fritsch understands how to recruit, develop and support family business owners. IGA founder J. Frank Grimes, whose key term was ‘alliance,’ believed that IGA had to have a shared belief among manufactures, distribution, and retailers in order to fulfill the requests of the consumer. He, even in the beginning, understood that IGA’s strength would be demonstrated through comprehension and commitment. From all we have seen of Fritsch’s career history he will undoubtedly walk well in the footsteps of our founder.”

“With great pride I look forward not only to ushering in a new period of growth for IGA’s 79 year-old alliance, but also championing the cause of existing Hometown Proud Retailers,” Fritsch said. “During the course of the interview process I came to realize that IGA is not just a label, but a lifestyle. IGA’s independent Retailers strive to honestly brand their stores both as the best places to work and the best places to shop. For employees and customers alike the local IGA is not just a store, but a true community center. My personal business philosophy aligns well with the spirit of IGA, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to join in serving the IGA independent retailer.”

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.