HEAD OF STATE SPEAKS AT IGA GLOBAL EXECUTIVES’ CONFERENCE

President of the Republic of Latvia Delivers Keynote Address

CHICAGO, IL - IGA today announced Her Excellency Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia, delivered the keynote address during the March 14th Plenary Session 1 of the 2004 Global Summit. Her Excellency’s address focused on the steadily increasing economic climate of Latvia, and the potential for food industry growth the country’s now free-market economy provides.

Latvia, now a democratic, parliamentary republic, has been under Nazi or Russian domination for more than four decades. “We are a small nation recovering from years of oppression, and yet we have made great strides within the last thirteen years,” said Her Excellency. “Latvia has quite quickly established a strong macroeconomic and fiscal environment. Today, the food processing industry accounts for one fourth of our country’s exports, making it the ideal environment for food industry investment.”

“How beneficial our first session was to reconfirm that private enterprise is on the rise all around the world,” Dr. Thomas Haggai, chairman and CEO of IGA said. “Her Excellency’s inspiring message proved the people of Latvia will continue to prosper, just as she over the years has continued her courageous fight to ensure their freedom.

Her Excellency Vaira Vike-Freiberga grew up in refugee camps in Germany, went to school in French Morocco, and completed her University studies in Canada. She retired professor emeritus from the Universite de Montreal in 1998, after serving as a professor of psychology there since 1965. Her Excellency was elected President of the Republic of Latvia on June 17, 1999, and re-elected for another four years in June of 2003.

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.