KUNIHIKO NAKAMURA RECEIVES THE SPIRIT OF IGA AWARD

CHICAGO, IL - IGA today announced Kunihiko Nakamura, owner of Tokyo, Japan's Hirai Nakamuraya IGA Supermarket was presented with The Spirit of IGA Award during IGA’s 2004 Global Summit, held March 14-17 at the Marriott’s Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

"We chose the 2004 Global Summit to take the opportunity to honor a retailer who has embraced the IGA Community philosophy for more than a decade by providing renowned customer service," said Paulo Goelzer, Ph.D., president IGA Institute, Chief Learning Officer and executive vice president, IGA International. "Nakamura Son's contagious enthusiasm and energetic retailing have sparked the rest of IGA Japan."

Nakamura’s 2,300 square foot IGA Supermarket in Tokyo has a store traffic of more than 2,800 shoppers a day. Today, more than 13 stores with the Nakamuraya name are run by former employees of Hirai Nakamuraya IGA Supermarket outside Tokyo.

"I am extremely honored to receive such a wonderful award," Nakamura said. "My store has been serving our local customers at Hirai of Tokyo since my grandfather opened it 80 years ago. Being encouraged by this award, I will continue striving for my commitment to make my store as customer service oriented as possible."

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.