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| Type | Supermarket |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1926 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general grocery, meat, produce, seafood, snacks, liquor, batteries |
| Website | http://www.iga.com/ |
IGA is a name used by many independent grocery stores throughout the world. It has since expanded to the world's largest voluntary supermarket chain, where the IGA banner is licensed in 45 countries and territories to over 4,000 independent supermarkets served by 37 independent distributors.
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United States
IGA was started in the United States in May 1926 when a group of 100 independent retailers in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Sharon, Connecticut, led by J. Frank Grimes, began operating as the Independent Grocers Alliance. This group quickly expanded, and by the end of the year there were more than 150 IGA retailers. In 1930 there were over 8,000 grocery stores using the IGA name. The company uses the "Hometown Proud Supermarkets" slogan. Today, many IGA grocery stores are still located in smaller cities and towns throughout the United States, such as Sedona, Arizona; Calistoga, California; Moultrie, Georgia; East Hampton, New York; Minerva, Ohio; Minster, Ohio; Olmsted Falls, Ohio and Killeen, Texas.
Canada
In Canada, other than British Columbia, IGA is a group of independent grocers supplied by Sobeys, which franchises the name. Their current slogan is Food is Everything (in French, Vive la bouffe ("Long live food")). Acquired by Sobeys as part of its purchase of The Oshawa Group Ltd., it now operates primarily in Quebec. The IGA operations in Atlantic Canada were sold to Loblaw Companies Limited and were restructured under its existing brands, while its company-owned stores west of Quebec now mainly operate under the Sobeys banner. There are, however, many IGA stores still operating in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.[1]
IGA Extra locations are larger and carry a wider variety of general merchandise, more akin to the hypermarket model. They include a pharmacy, large bakery, a bank, a bistro,a post office and a larger selection of food items.
In addition, IGA in Quebec also operates smaller supermarkets, such as Bonichoix and Tradition (a branding introduced in 1999).
In British Columbia, Marketplace IGA stores are, for the most part, independently owned and are supplied by the H. Y. Louie Co.[2]
Australia
The "Independent Grocers of Australia" brand is owned by Metcash, a South African-based retailer and wholesaler. This company supplies groceries, promotional materials and other things to a large number of locally owned Australian supermarkets, and a few smaller chains. Collectively, they are a competitor to major Australian supermarkets Woolworths/Safeway and Coles.
On May 1, 2006, IGA grew to include Dewsons, Ritchies, 'Action' and SupaValu.
References
- ^ IGA Your Hometown Advantage - Canada
- ^ H.Y. Louie Co. Limited to join IGA International, IGA Press Release, February 10, 2005.
Dramet(DRAKES)
External links
- IGA USA
- IGA Canada (Ontario, Quebec & Western Canada)
- MarketPlace IGA (British Columbia)
- IGA Australia
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
