NEWS ROUNDUP 1995-01-16 (3)

NAWGA Honors Store Designers

National-American Wholesale Grocers Association here has certified seven supermarket designers. They join a group of about 60 designers who have been so honored since the program began 20 years ago.

The Certified Professional Supermarket Designer designation is issued by NAWGA upon successful completion of written and oral exams about site selection, size, cost projections, equipment use and maintenance, among other subjects.

The designers honored include: Lee Pearson, retail development representative, Supervalu, Great Lakes division, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; Herb Hall, store engineer, Supervalu, Xenia, Ohio; Bob Lindquist, store engineering manager, Supervalu, Spokane, Wash., division; Steven Fuller, executive director/store engineer, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Kansas City, Kan.; Dennis Grotke, manager of engineering, Fleming Cos., Buffalo, N.Y., division; Eric Makowski, store planning manager, Fleming Cos., Philadelphia division, and Randy Tambourine, manager of store design and equipment procurement, Foodland Distributors, Livonia, Mich.

In-Store Banks Up 29% in 1994

NORCROSS, Ga. -- The number of supermarket bank branches skyrocketed with a 29% increase in 1994, according to a recent survey.

The report, conducted by International Bank Technologies here, found the total number of in-store banks was 2,505 at year's end, up from 1,938 at the end of 1993.

An IBT spokesman said the surge was partly the result of more banks entering the market, lured by the promise of cheaper operational costs and increased usage. "The most cost-effective and quickest way for banks to compete for market share is with in-store branches," he said.

In-store banks have dramatically increased in number since the decade began. More in-store banks were opened in the past two years than during the entire period of 1975 to 1990, the survey reported.