FRED HARRISON NAMED IGA'S 2003 INTERNATIONAL RETAILER OF THE YEAR

CHICAGO, IL – Fred Harrison, director of Ritchies IGA Dromana, Dromana , Victoria , Australia , has been named one of seven IGA 2003 International Retailers of the Year.

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

"From its humble beginnings in 1873, the Ritchies group of stores have grown into an Australian independent retailing icon," said Dr. Thomas Haggai, chairman and CEO of IGA. "Fred Harrsion has worked to strengthen the power of the IGA Banner Internationally, spreading our message of hometown pride to yet another part of the globe. His 27 stores are not just supermarkets, they are true Hometown Proud community centers. I'm proud to call Fred Harrison an IGA International Retailer of the Year."

The Ritchies group of stores joined IGA in 1998. The Dromana store was refurbished in 1999, and since that time has experienced an unprecedented lift in sales, attracting customers from a much wider geographical area.

"Remodeling Ritchies IGA Dromana was one of the best decisions I've made as CEO of the Ritchies Group," Harrison said. "Today it is a store that all Australian independent retailers aspire to. I'm proud of my store, and even more proud to be named an IGA Retailer of the Year."