IGA, INC.[1] is an international affiliation of franchised grocery stores that are independently owned and operated. As of 2017, the network included nearly 5,000 supermarkets in more than 30 countries, representing $36 billion in annual sales — with many IGA stores operating in small-town markets and owned by their managing families.
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, IGA was founded in 1926 the United States as the Independent Grocers Alliance.[2]
History
IGA was founded in May 1926 when a group of 100 independent retailers in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Sharon, Connecticut, led by J. Frank Grimes, organized into a single marketing system, primarily to help independent grocers compete against the emerging national grocery chain, e.g., the now defunct A&P. IGA management provided marketing guidance and consistent supply chain access to its IGA stores, many located in smaller cities and towns across the U.S., using the "Hometown Proud Supermarkets" slogan.[3]