IGA (supermarkets)
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| IGA | |
 |
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| Type | Supermarket |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1926 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, IL |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general grocery, meat, produce, seafood, snacks, liquor |
| 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 4000 independent supermarkets served by 37 independent distributors. Because there are no periods in the IGA sign, some people refer it as "iga."
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[edit] United States
IGA, Independent Grocers Alliance, was started in the United States in May of 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 8000 grocery stores licensed with the IGA name. The company uses the "Hometown Proud Supermarkets" slogan.
Bozzutos is a major Licensed Distributor to IGA retailers in the Northeastern USA.[1] C&S Wholesale is a major Licensed Distributor to IGA retailers in Northern California.
[edit] Canada
In Canada, IGA is a group of independent grocers supplied by Sobeys, which franchises the name. 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. The stores in Canada also collect Air Miles points.
 An IGA store in Vancouver, British Columbia. |
[edit] Australia
Independent Grocers of Australia is a union of independent Australian supermarkets trading under a single name affiliated with IGA in the United States. They are an alternative to the main Australian supermarkets Coles and Woolworths/Safeway.
On May 1, 2006, IGA grew to include locally owned supermarkets around Australia, including Dewsons, 'Action' and SupaValu
