PETER H. HUNG RECEIVES IGA'S
J. FRANK GRIMES AWARD

CHICAGO, IL - Peter H. Hung, chairman of China’s Pearl River Distribution Ltd., was awarded the J. Frank Grimes Award during IGA’s 2005 Global Summit, held Feb. 27-March 2 at Marriott’s Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Palm Springs, Calif.

The Award is given in recognition of extraordinary achievement to one who exhibits the principle, passion and great charisma of IGA’s founder J. Frank Grimes. Past recipients of the Award include some of the world’s most esteemed business executives.

"Over a decade ago Peter Hung stated that he wished to become a part of IGA,” said Dr. Thomas Haggai, chairman and CEO of IGA. "He was welcomed by IGA, and over the next couple of years he poured money into establishing an IGA presence in the Hunan Province. He was willing to take the blows of false starts and losses, trial and error, promises and promises broken, without ever doubting for a moment that IGA must have a place in China.”

Perhaps most importantly, Hung became an early supporter of China Chain Store & Franchise Association (CCFA), the largest trade organization of retailing and franchise industry in China with membership companies that include the largest Chinese local retailers and most well known international ones. Through his affiliation with CCFA, Hung became a friend of Madam Guo Geping, Chairperson of CCFA and the gatekeeper of China retail.

"J. Frank Grimes's vision 70 years ago was for a global alliance of independent grocery retailers,” Hung said. “I'm honored to have helped towards fulfilling that vision. A bridge to China's independent grocery retailers is built, and I'm pleased to see this bridge being used more frequently than ever by members of the alliance on both ends of that bridge."

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 37 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.