GMA to Honor Dollar General, Kroger and CVS in Inaugural Retailer Awards Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) today announced Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG), The Kroger Company (NYSE: KR) and CVS/pharmacy (NYSE: CVS) as the winners of its inaugural Retail Honors awards. The companies were selected as winners by their manufacturer trading partners and will be honored in three distinct categories: Retailer of the Year (Dollar General), Most Innovative Retailer (CVS/pharmacy) and Most Collaborative Retailer (Kroger).

"On behalf of our members, GMA is pleased to recognize those retail partners that have gone above and beyond to help create growth, customer loyalty and innovation in the marketplace," said Denny Belcastro, GMA executive vice president of industry affairs and member services. "Trading partner collaboration has never been more important given the current economic climate and these companies are leading the way by developing collective solutions that drive efficiency and growth."

The Retail Honors program was established this year to provide an opportunity for GMA member companies to recognize their trading partners for sustained excellence in performance, collaboration and innovation. The panel of Retail Honors judges, composed of manufacturer and sales agency executives from the GMA Sales Committee and the Industry Development and Advisory Committee, carefully considered the number of nominations, award criteria rankings and written comment submissions in determining winners in each category.

The 2010 Retailer of the Year award-winner, Dollar General Corporation, impressed judges with its ability to deliver top and bottom line growth, execution of in-store merchandising plans, strong shopper loyalty and high employee morale. These factors, combined with Dollar General's already strong reputation as a trusted and respected trading partner, earned the company Retailer of the Year honors. CVS/pharmacy earned the Most Innovative Retailer award by excelling in its ability to generate and test new concepts in the marketplace in partnership with manufacturers; create innovative marketing campaigns; and demonstrate industry leadership in new ways of thinking.

The Kroger Company, winner of the Most Collaborative Retailer award, distinguished itself with its active participation and flexibility in joint business planning, successful partnerships in shopper marketing programs and focus on collective measurements of performance and successes.

The awards will be presented at the GMA Retail Honors Dinner on Tuesday, November 9. The dinner is being held in conjunction with the GMA Shopper Momentum Conference, which takes place November 8-10 in Naples, FL.