Generating Growth and Enhancing Customer Service Drive Content of 2006 FMI Show Education Program

WASHINGTON, DC — April 20, 2006 — Identifying new ways to grow business and responding to increasingly complex consumers needs lead programming themes for the 2006 FMI Show, May 7-9 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in downtown Chicago.

Featuring top industry experts and state-of-the-industry data on the latest consumer and food retailing trends, the comprehensive, 40-session education program will offer a high-level, thought-provoking look at food retailing. The sessions will be presented in a variety of formats and locations throughout the three-day event.

Super Sessions

The program will be anchored by a series of “Super Sessions” — large keynote presentations offering broad overviews of industry and global trends. Scheduled sessions and topics include:

• Insight Spanning the Decades: Veteran news anchor Ted Koppel will discuss his 45 years as a journalist and the impact of world events on market trends.

• Get a Jump on What Your Customers Want — Trends from the Inside Out: Former Target executive turned author Robyn Waters will provide an unconventional look at the trends driving today’s retail strategies and those that may be on the horizon.

• The Changing Face of the Food Industry – Speaks 2006 and Beyond:Industry leaders will come together for FMI’s signature presentation to provide a fact-filled overview of the industry’s operating results, current consumer trends and unique observations on ways to increase profitability by building customer relationships. The session will conclude with presentation of the 2006 Store Manager Superior Service Awards. Note: This session will be held on Monday, May 8, at 8:15 a.m. instead of previous years’ scheduling on Sunday.

• Can Supermarkets Be Cool? Lessons from the Best: Retail design expert Christian Davies looks at the ways supermarkets can present themselves as vibrant and vital elements in the lives of today’s fickle consumers. Davies will discuss how to create personal experiences at store level and anchor communities through retail.

• The Future of Mealtime – Bringing the Family Back to the Table: Cultural expert Nancy Kruse, consumer guru Odonna Matthews and FMI’s Michael Sansolo examine how today’s consumers shop and eat, and the role supermarkets play in family meals.

• Winning the Hispanic Shopping Trip: Unilever’s Michael Twitty offers insight on the shopping preferences and behaviors of U.S. Hispanics, and the marketing and merchandising strategies retailers can use to establish their loyalty.

• Building a Great Store Management Team: Bill McEwen of Sobeys, Inc., Ray Stewart from Hy-Vee, Inc. and Suzanne Wade of H.E.Butt Grocery Company lead a panel discussion about accessing, developing and retaining results-driven store managers. Results of a new Coca Cola Retailing Research Council study will be revealed. The session will conclude with presentation of the Retailers’ Choice Awards, which recognize outstanding new consumer products.

• 10 of the Best Private Label Promotions Ever: Food marketing expert Harold Lloyd joins Professor Kenneth Herbst, College of William and Mary, for a look at the dramatic growth of private label and a showcase of the best private label promotions ever.

Close-Ups

Close-Ups are interactive workshops that offer practical ideas and tools to help attendees grow their businesses and better serve their customers. They are held on the FMI Show exhibit floor and feature noted authors, retailers and industry experts. Session topics will include:

Beverage Trends, Consumer Behavior and Food, Direct Store Delivery, Disaster Preparedness, Electronic Payments Costs,
Energy Costs, Future of the Front End, Global Food and Beverage Trends, Gourmet and Specialty Foods, Hispanic Shoppers, Labor Allocation, Maximizing Perishables, New Product Trends, Organic Foods, Perimeter Growth Solutions,
Private Label, Profits with Principles, Store Traffic Flow and Sales, Takeout Dining and Wine Sales.

Concurrent Sessions

Four concurrent sessions will offer a hands-on approach to current industry issues. Designed to build skills in specific areas, attendees will work with experienced facilitators who go beyond a traditional presentation. Speakers will discuss ideas and strategies, and participants will work in smaller groups, using interactive exercises focused on practical concepts that can be applied at store level. The sessions will be approximately three hours long and require advance registration. Sessions topics include:

• Defining, Identifying and Measuring Shrink: This two-part session will feature three loss prevention experts offering an in-depth tactical approach to controlling shrink and increasing category sales, productivity and profitability.

• Lifestyle Management: CARE Marketing to Your Customers: Participants will explore lifestyle management solutions that bring customers into stores and generate business growth.

• Bootcamp for Buyers, Part I – An Action Plan for Private Label Category Management: Category managers, program directors, merchandisers and buyers will learn how to develop effective strategic positioning of private label that strengthens customer loyalty and the store brand.

• Bootcamp for Buyers, Part II – Private Label Shelf Management and Merchandising: This session will offer specific examples of successful in-store placement and merchandising techniques used by retailers to drive the growth of private label programs.

For more information about the 2006 FMI Show, visit the Show website (www.fmishow.com).