SN'S TOP 75: TOP NORTH AMERICAN FOOD RETAILERS

Among this year's new arrivals are the first-ever dollar store on the list (Dollar General); three new wholesalers (United Natural Foods, Central Grocers Inc. and Affiliated Foods Midwest); two new retailers (Houchens Industries and Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co.), and two additional convenience stores (Alimentation Couche-Tard and Wawa). Gone are Shaw's Supermarkets and Fiesta Marts, both acquired during 2004, and Redner's Markets, last year's No. 75, among others.

es; 550 U.S. Sam's Clubs account for approximately $37 billion, or 13.5% of sales, with 60% coming from consumables; 76 Neighborhood Markets account for approximately $3 billion, or 1% of sales; and international sales account for approximately $55 billion, or 18.5% of total sales.

2. Kroger Co., Cincinnati

David B. Dillon, chairman, CEO; 4,263; 56.2 e; 1/29/05

Kroger sales encompass 2,530 supermarkets and multi-department stores, 792 convenience stores, 502 fuel centers and 439 fine jewelry stores.

3. Costco Wholesale Corp., Issaquah, Wash.

Jim Sinegal, president, CEO; 390; 47.2 a; 8/29/04

Groceries, encompassing food, sundries and fresh products, account for 62% of Costco's total sales, or $44.6 billion. Of total sales, $38.7 billion came from the United States, $5.9 billion from Canada and $2.6 billion from overseas.

4. Albertsons, Boise, Idaho

Larry Johnston, chairman, CEO; 2,741; 39.7 e; 2/3/05

Albertsons stores encompass 1,810 supermarkets, 697 freestanding drug stores and 234 fuel centers. Of the supermarkets, 11 Bristol Farms stores in Southern California and seven Super Saver stores in Texas and Louisiana are owned and operated by independently managed and operated subsidiaries of Albertsons.

5. Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif.

Steve Burd, chairman, president, CEO; 1,817; 35.6 e; 1/1/05

6. Ahold USA Retail, Quincy, Mass.

Anders Moberg, president, CEO (Royal Ahold); 1,489; 27.4 a; 1/2/05

Ahold USA Retail, the U.S. division of Netherlands-based Ahold, encompasses 1,489 stores, including 339 Shop & Shop, 197 Giant Foods (Landover, Md), 180 Bruno's, 292 Bi-Lo, 116 Giant Foods (Carlisle, Pa.) and 365 Tops Friendly Markets. Ahold is in the process of selling the Bi-Lo and Bruno's operations. Ahold USA Retail accounted for 59% of Ahold USA sales, which were $46.2 billion. (The balance of U.S. sales comes from Ahold USA Foodservice.) Ahold USA accounted for 67% of the parent company's total sales, which were $68.7 billion (U.S.) for 2004.

7. Loblaw Cos., Toronto

John Lederer, president; 1,050; 21.7 e ($U.S.); 1/1/05

Loblaw operates 645 corporate stores and supplies 405 franchised stores.

8. Supervalu, Minneapolis

Jeff Noddle, chairman, president, CEO; 1,544; 19.5 e; 2/25/05

Sales from 670 corporate stores , encompassing 261 supermarkets and 409 Save-A-Lots, account for 52% of annual revenues. The company also franchises 31 Cub Foods stores and 843 Save-A-Lots.

9. Publix Super Markets, Lakeland, Fla.

Charles Jenkins Jr., CEO; 847; 18.0 e; 12/31/04

10. Delhaize America, Salisbury, N.C.

Pierre Olivier-Beckers, chairman; 1,494; 15.8 a; 1/1/05

Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group, encompasses 1,214 Food Lion stores; 123 Hannaford Bros. stores; 103 Kash 'n Karry stores; and 54 Harvey's stores. Delhaize America accounts for 66% of Delhaize Group's sales, which were $23.8 billion (U.S.) for 2004.

11. C&S Wholesale Grocers, Keene, N.H.

Rick Cohen, chairman, CEO; 0; 13.2 e; 9/25/04

C&S supplies products to a variety of Top 75 retailers, and volume from those companies is reflected in the sales totals for C&S and for each retailer. C&S volume does not include retail sales from GU Markets, an affiliate of C&S that operates 33 former Grand Union locations.

12. Meijer Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich.

Doug and Hank Meijer, co-chairmen; 163; 11.9 e; 1/30/05

13. 7-Eleven, Dallas

Jim Keyes, president, CEO; 5,788; 11.1 e; 12/31/04

Merchandise accounts for 65% of total 7-Eleven sales; gasoline, 35%. Excluding tobacco products, which account for approximately 28% of merchandise volume, sales from dairy, fresh foods, baked goods, candy and snacks, beer and wine, beverages, food service and nonfoods account for approximately 72% of the merchandise total, or $5.2 billion. 7-Eleven operates 5,298 stores in the United States and 490 in Canada. All stores in Canada and 36% of those in the United States are corporate-owned; 64% of the stores in the United States are franchised. U.S. sales account for approximately 92% of the company's total sales.

14. H.E. Butt Grocery Co., San Antonio

Charles C. Butt, chairman, CEO; 296; 11.0 e; 11/1/04

H-E-B totals include 21 stores in Mexico, which account for approximately 5% of total sales.

15. A&P, Montvale, N.J.

Christian Haub, chairman, CEO; 691; 10.8 e; 2/26/05

A&P operates 456 corporate stores in the United States and 193 corporate stores in Canada; it also operates 42 franchised stores in Canada under the Food Basics banner. Sales in Canada account for approximately 25% of the company's total.

16. Winn-Dixie Stores, Jacksonville, Fla.

Peter Lynch, president, CEO; 976; 10.1 e; 6/29/05

Winn-Dixie said in April it planned to sell or close 156 stores over the ensuing 12 months. By mid-January, the company said it will have sold, closed or subleased 117 of those locations.

17. Sobeys, Stellarton, Nova Scotia

Bill McEwan, president, CEO; 1,311; 10.0 e ($U.S.); 5/7/05

Sobeys operates 433 corporate stores, including 153 supermarkets, 222 convenience stores and 58 drug stores, and supplies 878 franchised stores.

18. Dollar General Corp., Goodlettsville, Tenn.

David Perdue, chairman, CEO; 7,324; 7.7 e; 1/28/05

Consumables, including groceries, fresh and refrigerated foods, and health and beauty care products, account for approximately 63% of total sales.

19. BJ's Wholesale Club, Natick, Mass.

Michael T. Wedge, president, CEO; 154; 7.4 e; 1/29/05

Groceries, encompassing food and sundries, account for approximately 72.5% of BJ's total sales.

20. Wakefern Food Corp., Elizabeth, N.J.

Thomas Infusino, chairman; 50; 7.1 e; 10/2/04

Wakefern supplies products to three other Top 75 companies -- Foodarama, Village Super Markets and Inserra Supermarkets -- and volume from those companies is reflected in the sales totals for Wakefern. Wakefern declined to indicate what percentage of total sales are done by its corporate stores -- 31 ShopRites and 19 PriceRites.

21. Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh

David Shapira, chairman, CEO; 221; 5.2 e; 6/30/05

Volume encompasses sales from 140 corporate stores and sales to 81 franchised independent stores.

22. Metro, Montreal

Pierre Lessard, president, CEO; 550; 5.0 a ($U.S.); 9/25/04

Metro operates 214 corporate stores, which account for 70% of sales, and supplies 336 franchised stores in addition to independent customers.

23. Roundy's, Milwaukee

Robert A. Mariano, chairman, CEO; 126; 5.0 e; 1/1/05

Corporate stores at Roundy's account for 62% of total sales.

24. Alimentation Couche-Tard, Laval, Quebec

Alain Bouchard, chairman, president, CEO; 4,816; 4.9 a ($U.S.); 4/25/04

Merchandise and services account for 53% of Couche-Tard sales, or $2.6 billion (U.S.). The company operates 2,154 corporate-owned Circle K stores and licenses or franchises 803 affiliated Circle K's in the United States, which account for approximately 75% of sales, or $3.7 billion (U.S.), and 1,859 Couche-Tard and Mac's c-stores in Canada.

25. Associated Wholesale Grocers, Kansas City, Kan.

Gary A. Phillips, president, CEO; 77; 4.8 e; 12/25/04

Corporate stores at AWG account for 11% of total sales.

26. Hy-Vee Food Stores, Des Moines, Iowa

Rick Jurgens, president, CEO, COO; 221; 4.7 a; 10/3/04

Hy-Vee operates 195 supermarkets and 26 drug stores.

27. Pathmark Stores, Carteret, N.J.

Eileen Scott, CEO; 143; 4.1 e; 1/29/05

28. Trader Joe's Co., Monrovia, Calif.

Dan Bane, chairman, CEO; 228; 4.0 e; 6/25/05

Trader Joe is wholly owned by the Albrecht family of Germany.

29. Nash Finch Co., Minneapolis

Ron Marshall, CEO; 87; 3.9 e; 1/1/05

Corporate stores at Nash Finch account for 20% of total sales.

30. Whole Foods Market, Austin, Texas

John Mackey, chairman, CEO; 163; 3.9 a; 9/26/04

31. Aldi, Batavia, Ill.

Charles Youngstrom, president; 780; 3.7 e; 12/31/04

Aldi is the U.S. subsidiary of Aldi Group, Essen, Germany.

32. Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, N.Y.

Danny Wegman, president; 67; 3.6 e; 12/31/04

33. Stater Bros. Markets, Colton, Calif.

Jack Brown, chairman, president, CEO; 159; 3.6 e; 9/26/04

34. Raley's Supermarkets, Sacramento, Calif.

William Coyne, president, COO; 136; 3.2 e; 6/24/05

35. Unified Western Grocers, Los Angeles

Al Plamann, president, CEO; 0; 3.0 a; 10/2/04

36. Wawa Inc., Wawa, Pa.

Richard B. Wood Jr., chairman, CEO; 543; 2.8 e; 12/26/04

Merchandise and services account for an estimated 64% of Wawa's sales, or $1.8 billion.

37. Harris Teeter, Matthews, N.C.

Fred Morganthall, president; 138; 2.6 a; 10/3/04

Harris Teeter is a division of Ruddick Corp., Charlotte, N.C., and accounts for approximately 90% of its sales.

38. Price Chopper, Schenectady, N.Y.

Neil Golub, president, CEO; 107; 2.5 e; 4/24/05

39. Overwaitea Food Group, Langley, British Columbia

Steve Vanderleest, president; 90; 2.5 e ($U.S.); 12/31/04

40. Grocers Supply Co., Houston

Max Levit, president; 54; 2.5 e; 1/1/05

Grocers Supply Co. acquired Fiesta Markets in August 2003.

41. Alex Lee Inc., Hickory, N.C.

Boyd George, chairman, CEO; 106; 2.4 a; 10/2/04

Sales at Alex Lee Inc. include $1.1 billion from Lowes Food Stores, Winston-Salem, N.C.; $1.6 billion from Merchants Distributors Inc., Hickory, a wholesaler (approximately 46% of whose sales go to Lowes); and $399 million from Institution Food House, Hickory, a food-service distributor.

42. Save Mart Supermarkets, Modesto, Calif.

Robert M. Piccinini, chairman, CEO; 118; 2.4 e; 12/26/04

43. Houchens Industries, Bowling Green, Ky.

Jimmy Gipson, chairman, president, CEO; 339; 2.4 e; 10/2/04

Houchens operates 137 supermarkets -- under the Houchens, Food Giant and IGA banners -- and 202 corporate-owned Save-A-Lot units, which account for approximately 56% of total sales, or $1.3 billion. The company also operates 40 convenience stores and is involved in several other businesses, including warehousing, construction, recycling, insurance and tobacco.

44. WinCo Foods, Boise, Idaho

William D. Long, chairman, CEO; 47; 2.3 e; 4/2/04

45. Schnuck Markets, St. Louis

Craig Schnuck, chairman, CEO; 102; 2.2 e; 9/25/04

46. Spartan Stores, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Craig Sturken, chairman, president, CEO; 75; 2.1 e; 3/26/05

Corporate stores, encompassing 54 supermarkets and 21 deep-discount drug stores, account for 46% of total sales.

47. Weis Markets, Sunbury, Pa.

Robert F. Weis, chairman; 157; 2.1 e; 12/25/04

48. Ingles Markets, Black Mountain, N.C.

Robert P. Ingle 2nd, chairman, CEO; 197; 2.1 e; 9/25/04

49. United Natural Foods, Dayville, Conn.

Steve Townsend, chairman, CEO; 12; 2.0 e; 7/31/05

Corporate stores account for 2% of United Natural's total sales.

50. Bashas', Chandler, Ariz.

Eddie N. Basha Jr., chairman, CEO; 150; 2.0 e; 1/1/05

51. Demoulas Market Basket, Tewksbury, Mass.

William J. Shea, chairman; 59; 1.95 e; 1/1/05

52. Smart & Final, Los Angeles

Etienne Snollaerts, president, CEO; 240; 1.9 e; 1/2/05

Smart & Final operates 193 warehouse stores and 47 cash-and-carry stores.

53. Brookshire Grocery Co., Tyler, Texas

Bruce Brookshire, chairman; 154; 1.9 e; 9/28/04

54. Marsh Supermarkets, Indianapolis

Donald W. Marsh, chairman, CEO; 280; 1.7 e; 4/2/05

Marsh store totals include 116 supermarkets and 164 convenience stores. The company also operates food-service and catering companies, a restaurant and a floral business.

55. Central Grocers Inc., Franklin Park, Ill.

Joe Caccamo, VP, general manager; 28; 1.5 a; 8/1/04

Corporate stores account for approximately 42% of total sales. Central Grocers Inc. was formerly known as Central Grocers Cooperative.

56. Associated Food Stores, Salt Lake City

Richard Parkinson, president, CEO; 23; 1.4 e; 3/26/05

Corporate stores at Associated account for 30% of sales.

57. Purity Wholesale Grocers, Boca Raton, Fla.

Sal Ricciardi; president, CEO; 0; 1.4 e; 6/30/05

58. Penn Traffic Co., Syracuse, N.Y.

Robert Chapman, president, CEO; 10; 91.4 e; 1/29/05

Penn Traffic also serves as a wholesaler to 80 licensed franchisees and 41 independent operators.

59. Associated Wholesalers Inc., Robesonia, Pa.

J. Chris Michael, president, CEO; 9; 1.4 e; 7/31/05

Corporate stores at AWI account for 7% of total sales.

60. K-VA-T Food Stores, Abingdon, Va.

Jack Smith, chairman; 89; 1.3 e; 12/31/04

61. White Rose Foods, Carteret, N.J.

Richard Neff, CEO; 0; 1.3 e; 1/1/05

White Rose is a division of DiGiorgio Corp.

62. Big Y Foods, Springfield, Mass.

Donald D'Amour, chairman, CEO; 53; 1.2 e; 6/26/05

Big Y operates 51 conventional supermarkets and two fine wine, liquor and gourmet food stores under the banners Table & Vine and Town & Country.

63. Foodarama, Freehold, N.J.

Richard Saker, president, CEO; 26; 1.2 e; 10/30/04

64. Bozzuto's, Cheshire, Conn.

Michael Bozzuto, chairman, president; 8; 1.0 a; 9/25/04

Corporate stores at Bozzuto's account for 1.5% of total sales.

65. Affiliated Foods Midwest, Norfolk, Neb.

Martin Arter, president; 0; 1.0 e; 6/30/05

66. Wild Oats Markets, Boulder, Colo.

Perry Odak, president, CEO; 109; 0.99 e; 1/1/05

67. Inserra Supermarkets, Mahwah, N.J.

Lawrence R. Inserra, chairman, CEO; 21; 0.98 e; 12/25/04

68. Village Super Market, Springfield, N.J.

James Sumas, chairman; 23; 0.96 e; 7/31/04

69. Minyard Food Stores, Coppell, Texas

Ron Johnson, managing partner (Minyard Group); 69; 0.90 e; 6/26/05

70. United Supermarkets, Lubbock, Texas

Gantt Bumstead, president; 47; 0.90 e; 1/29/05

71. Associated Grocers, Seattle

Robert Hermanns, president, CEO; 1; 0.85 a; 9/25/04

72. Brookshire Bros., Lufkin, Texas

Jack Gabriel, Donny Johnson and Jerry Johnson executive committee; 72; 0.85 e; 4/30/05

73. Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co., Charleston, S.C.

Joseph T. Newton 3rd, president, CEO; 85; 0.85 e; 4/3/05

Corporate stores account for 88% of the company's total sales, or $750 million. Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co. is owned by Greenbax Enterprises Inc., which owns 85 corporate Piggly Wiggly stores and supplies 40 independent Piggly Wiggly stores.

74. King Kullen, Bethpage, N.Y.

Bernard Kennedy, chairman, CEO; 50; 0.80 e; 9/24/04

King Kullen operates 48 supermarkets and two Wild by Nature natural food stores.

75. Haggen Inc., Bellingham, Wash.

Dale C. Henley, president, COO; 33; 0.80 e; 12/25/04

Haggen operates 32 supermarkets and one freestanding pharmacy.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

IGA, the Chicago-based voluntary network of independent operators, accounted for 2004 sales of approximately $20 billion, of which $7 billion came from IGA stores in the U.S., $2 billion from IGA stores in Canada and $11 billion from IGA stores overseas. IGA members are supplies by 14 licensed wholesalers in the U.S., one in Canada and 10 overseas.

Piggly Wiggly LLC is a Dallas-based umbrella organization for 604 licensed and franchised independent operators in 16 states across the mid-South, Illinois and Wisconsin with a combined 2004 volume of approximately $3.3 billion. Piggly Wiggly stores are supplied by a variety of different wholesalers. The company is an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers, Keene, N.H.