IGA DRAWS CONSUMER TRAFFIC WITH IGA ULTIMATE TAILGATE ZONE MARKETING EVENT

New Consumer and Retailer Prizes added for 2007

CHICAGO, IL - IGA today announced participating IGA retailers across the country will hold an in-store marketing event, IGA Ultimate Tailgate Zone, September 2nd – October 6th. The event, now in its sixth year, is designed to generate additional foot-traffic in IGA stores during the football tailgating season.

IGA Ultimate Tailgate Zone is the fourth marketing event in the 2007 IGA Family, Friends & Food marketing program, and is sponsored by the following IGA Red Oval manufacturing partners: Anheuser-Bush, Inc., Campbell Soup Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola Hydration Business Unit, Kraft Foods, Nabisco,
McCormick & Company, Inc., Nestlé Purina PetCare Company.

During the more than one month-long timeframe, IGA stores will offer valuable savings on brand-name consumer sponsor products, as well as multiple chances for IGA customers to win a host of tailgating-themed prize packages.  The four consumer prize packages, awarded via random sweepstakes drawing, include:

A WINNER AT EVERY STORE
$25 IGA Gift Certificate
Each participating IGA store will receive a $25 IGA gift certificate to be awarded to one of its loyal IGA shoppers!

GRAND PRIZE
Ultimate Tailgate Party Prize Package (25 winners)
Each prize package includes a $250 IGA gift certificate and $250 cash

SECOND PLACE PRIZE
Road Trip BBQ Prize Package (25 winners)
Each prize package includes: a BBQ grill, Grill Mates® blends, rubs and marinades, McCormick gear – hat, shirt, apron, and Grilling utensils

THIRD PLACE PRIZE
Tailgating Recipe Collection (75 winners)
Each prize package includes: Grill Mates® blends, rubs and marinades and McCormick gear – hat, shirt, apron

Though the event is based around the IGA Ultimate Tailgate Zone consumer sweepstakes, IGA Senior Director of Branding and Business Development Jim Walz stressed that the goal when developing each of the events in 2007 is to provide retailers with the resources they need to tailor events to their own communities. For example, during the IGA Ultimate Tailgate Zone event, IGA retailers are encouraged to build creative sponsor product displays that tie-in with local football teams.
 
“One of the most exciting and interesting things about IGA Ultimate Tailgate Zone is that the theme allows IGA retailers tremendous flexibility in terms of customization,” Walz said. “We provide IGA retailers with basics they need, and they add local elements to make it more marketable to their specific community and customer base. We see retailers promoting this event through a connection with all manner of football teams, from local high school teams to the NFL.”

IGA has developed a number of programs to reward retailers for their extra efforts in marketing events in 2007. Working in conjunction with IGA Licensed Distribution Center (LDC) Partners, IGA has created an Event Marketing Champions program that allows each LDC to reward retailer/retailers with cash and recognition for best practices in each of IGA’s marketing events. Best practices categories include, among others, ad design/layout, contest conception/execution, and generating public relations for events.

IGA has also teamed with sponsors to provide IGA Ultimate Tailgate Zone retailer rewards. For example, IGA has asked participating retailers to send in pictures of their IGA Ultimate Tailgate Zone-themed sponsor product displays for a chance to win one of 12 $1,000 Best Buy gift certificate grand prizes, or one of 12 Playstation 3 gaming console runner-up prizes.

IGA 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 than 55 major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items. IGA has operations in 44 of the United States and more than 40 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents.

For Information Contact
Ashley M. Page 773-772-5724