FOODS CO TO OPEN SECOND SUPERMARKET IN FRESNO

FRESNO, CA – (January 17, 2003) – Foods Co, the nation’s leading price-impact supermarket chain, continues to make good on its promise to bring the finest in service, quality, variety and everyday low prices to Fresno with the opening of its second price-impact, warehouse-format supermarket in the city on Wednesday, January 22 at 8 a.m. The store, at 3657 West Shaw Avenue, anchors the new West Shaw Marketplace shopping center at the intersection of Shaw and Marty avenues. It will be open 24 hours a day to serve customer needs. The modern 59,000 square foot store is the second Foods Co to serve the residents of Fresno. Foods Co also operates a store at 4838 E. Kings Canyon Road. That store opened in February 2001. “We are very excited about this opportunity to open our second store in Fresno and expand Foods Co’s presence in Fresno County,” said Dave Hirz, president of Foods Co. “We look forward to offering Foods Co’s unique brand of friendly service to customers who appreciate quality and value.” Featuring a state-of-the-art store design, the new West Shaw Marketplace Foods Co offers supermarket quality with a diverse selection of products, destination departments and customer services – all at the lowest prices in town. “We are very pleased to cast a vote of confidence in Fresno with this major investment in the community,” said Hirz. “Our new store is bringing shopping convenience, services and jobs to the community. At our newest Foods Co store our goal is to offer our customers the best selection and the highest quality foods at exceptional value.” The new West Shaw Marketplace Foods Co will employ more than 130 full-time and part-time members, including about 100 staff members who have been newly hired from the community. Foods Co shoppers are sure to enjoy Store Director Ibrahim Alwareeth. Alwareeth, who boasts 14 years of experience in the grocery industry, most recently managed the Foods Co on Kings Canyon Road in Fresno. “We’re excited and we’re ready,” said Alwareeth. “We’ve been working very hard to get the store ready for our customers. We are eager to serve the needs of our customers and we are committed to providing the community with the finest products and services available.” Shoppers visiting the new Foods Co will discover an abundance of high quality fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and poultry, and a grocery department stocked with thousands of products at Foods Co’s low everyday prices. They will also enjoy the store’s large club pack section and famous “Wall of Values,” featuring many name brand products at discounted prices. In the spirit of offering shoppers a true, one-stop-shopping experience, the new store also features several specialty departments, including a fresh service deli/bakery with a delicious selection of deli meats and cheeses, party trays, freshly baked breads and decorated cakes. Busy shoppers entering the West Shaw Marketplace store will also appreciate the convenience of its full-service pharmacy. The store’s pharmacy is a complete health care center where customers will enjoy the convenience of having their prescriptions filled while they shop for groceries. Among the many services the pharmacy offers are back-to-school immunizations, adult hepatitis shots, flu shots and free blood pressure testing. Pharmacy hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Customers will also enjoy a wide range of other special services, including postage stamps, motorized shopping carts for shoppers with mobility impairments and specially designed shopping carts with infant carriers. The modern store also features state-of-the-art equipment, energy-efficient lighting and environmentally safe refrigeration. “We are sure that customers will enjoy the great selection of groceries, as well as all of the added services we will be offering at our new store,” added Hirz. As an introduction to the community, Foods Co will make donations totaling $4,000 to several local schools, including Bullard High School, Lawless Elementary School and Slater Elementary School. In addition, Foods Co will contribute $1,000 to the Fresno Police Activities League. Hirz welcomed the opportunity to assist the community. “Foods Co takes an active role in every community we serve,” he said. “It is our intention to be a good corporate citizen. We will remain open to new ways to meet community needs and to participate in neighborhood improvement projects.” Other grand opening festivities planned for the new store include free food samples and appearances by popular costumed characters. “Foods Co is committed to the community and to providing our customers with exceptional service and value,” Hirz said. “We want our shoppers to let us know what they think about their new store and urge them to tell our store staff. We look forward to serving the community for many years to come.” The new West Shaw Marketplace store is the first of two new Foods Co stores planned to open in Fresno in 2003. Construction is scheduled to beginning this spring on a 59,200 square-foot Foods Co store at the corner of 1st Street and Shields Avenue in Fresno. Foods Co is also finalizing plans to build a fourth location in the city. Foods Co is a member of the Southern California-based Food 4 Less Stores family of supermarkets. Food 4 Less operates 130 price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the banners Food 4 Less in Southern California, Nevada, Illinois and Indiana, and Foods Co in Central and Northern California, from its headquarters in Compton, CA. Food 4 Less is a division of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers, headquartered in Cincinnati, OH. For more information, visit www.food4less1.com.

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