JOE DE GOUVEIA NAMED IGA 2002 INTERNATIONAL RETAILER OF THE YEAR

CHICAGO, IL – Joe de Gouveia, owner of Aerorand Friendly Grocer IGA in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa, has been named one of seven IGA 2002 International Retailers of the Year.

De Gouveia was chosen for the annual award from the more than 4,400 IGA Retailers worldwide. A committee of Food Industry experts selected De Gouveia 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.

"I was bowled over on hearing that our store had won this prestigious award," de Gouveia said. " I congratulate my wife Sandra and my dedicated management staff for the parts each of them played in contributing to the character of the store. In the end, the great feedback we receive from our customers has made it possible to keep on improving in all areas."

"Since joining our team in 1999, Joe has made a huge contribution to the IGA family," said Dr. Thomas Haggai, chairman and CEO of IGA. "He has made Aerorand Friendly Grocer IGA synonymous with quality through his operational expertise, but even more important, he has used his status as an IGA store owner to better his surrounding community. Joe exemplifies all we hope for from the phrase Hometown Proud."

In addition to the day-to-day duties de Gouveia faces as Aerorand Friendly Grocer IGA owner, he also focuses a large part of his time on charitable causes, having arranged to supply Middelburg's Daisy Day Care center for under-privileged children with milk and bread on a daily basis. Because of its charitable contributions and excellent operational standards, Aerorand Friendly Grocer IGA was named IGA South African Store of the Year in 2001. The recently expanded store features amenities including a bakery, floral shop and banking center featuring an ATM terminal.