CHARLES HAREDGREE NAMED IGA'S 2003 INTERNATIONAL RETAILER OF THE YEAR

CHICAGO, IL – Charles Hardegree, owner of Brodhead IGA in Brodhead , KY. , has been named one of seven IGA 2003 International Retailers of the Year.

Hardegree was chosen for the annual award from the 4,400 IGA Retailers worldwide. A committee of Food Industry experts selected Hardegree based on his exceptional performance in areas ranging from leadership and innovation to hometown involvement and employee development. He 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.

"In 2001, Charles Hardegree purchased a tired and run down supermarket that was in financial trouble and on the brink of closing," said Dr. Thomas Haggai, chairman and CEO of IGA. "Now less than two years later, that same store carries the IGA Banner and averages more than $60,000 a week in sales. Brodhead, however, is not just a successful grocery store, it is a true community center that displays the Hometown Proud values that exemplify the IGA spirit. I'm proud to call Charles Hardegree an IGA International Retailer of the Year."

During his two years as owner of Brodhead IGA, Hardegree has focused much of his attention on community service. In 2002, his store sponsored two local children in the IGA/Space Camp Scholarship program. During the school year, Hardegree also sponsors a number of youth sports, including baseball, football, basketball, and cheerleading.

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 4,400 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, supported by 37 distribution companies and more than 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 states and 44 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents.