Jan 31, 2005
WASHINGTON, DC — January 31, 2005 — To celebrate imaginative customer and community service programs in the supermarket industry, the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) is accepting nominations for the 6th annual Store Manager Superior Service Awards. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, February 23. Three grand prize winners will be announced at the 2005 FMI Show, May 1-3, 2005, in Chicago, IL. Cash prizes of $1,000 will be awarded to the winners.
     

“Supermarkets all over the world help set the tone for their communities through compassionate, innovative customer and community service initiatives,” said Tim Hammonds, president and CEO of FMI. “Store managers are key to creating a meaningful bond between their companies and their customers. This FMI award program is meant to recognize these hard-working and caring individuals for superior service to their communities.”
     

Store managers or their supporters are asked to send in stories that demonstrate how the manager has gone above and beyond the ordinary in the areas of customer or community service. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity, the impact on store growth, customer satisfaction and community relations by FMI staff and an outside panel of judges.
     

All in-store managers in the food, mass merchandise and convenience store industries are eligible to enter after one year of employment at the same store.
     

Entries will be divided into three categories based on company size. Category A will consist of retailers with 1-29 stores, Category B will include retailers with 30-99 stores and Category C will include retailers with 100 or more stores. Judges will select 18 finalists (six from each category) and three grand prize winners (one from each category).
     

Award finalists will receive two tickets to the 2005 FMI Show and three nights of hotel accommodations in Chicago.
     

For complete rules, brochures and enrollment forms for submitting entries, please visit www.fmishow.org, or contact Gretchen Hritz at (202) 220-0809 or ghritz@fmi.org.