Mar 16, 2007
Contact: Stephanie Strauss

(202) 220-0657

sstrauss@fmi.org

ARLINGTON, VA — March 16, 2007 — The New FMI Show plus MARKETECHNICS®, the premier supermarket industry event bringing together new products, education sessions, business opportunities and the latest in retail technology, will take place May 6-8, 2007, at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. This year will also feature the co-location of the FMI Pharmacy Conference.

Tech Lane will join the New Product Showcase this year, offering hands-on demonstrations of technology. Supermarket and other retail professionals will see how the latest technologies can lower costs, increase productivity and improve the consumer shopping experience. Vice President Al Gore will be the featured guest speaker at the opening session, providing insights on technology issues that are reshaping today’s businesses.

More than 35,000 attendees from 104 countries, 2,000 exhibitors, including 40 minority- and women-owned businesses and 600 members of the media attended last year’s FMI Show. The New Product Showcase featured 135 new items.

Show features this year include:

Exciting Product Categories With Dynamic Potential

This year’s Show floor will spotlight technology, snacks and confectionary, general merchandise/health and beauty care (GM/HBC) and pharmacy.

Culinary Demonstrations Sponsored by The Culinary Expert

Chefs from The Culinary Expert will demonstrate to attendees on the Show floor how to build customer loyalty and increase sales through in-store cuisine.

Technology Floor Tours

Industry veterans Tom Murphy, formerly of The Kroger Co., and Tom Nowak, former CIO of the Price Chopper Supermarkets, will conduct technology floor tours focusing on specific systems such as front-end technology and electronic payment equipment.

Nutrition and Wellness Pavilion Sponsored by The Little Clinic

The Little Clinic at the Nutrition and Wellness Pavilion will feature a full-size clinic and the newest innovations in healthcare to show the dynamic potential of this niche.

Pharmacy Floor Tour

Chris Thomsen of the Thomsen Group will lead a pharmacy floor tour to present cross-promotional opportunities and emerging technologies and to highlight the one-stop shopping experience. Suppliers will emphasize consumer whole health concepts.

Distinctive FMI Education Sessions

The New FMI Show plus MARKETECHNICS® offers focused education workshops and strategic super sessions covering top industry issues. This year’s 40 education sessions will address the toughest challenges in food retailing, including how to:

• Respond to the coming management talent crisis

• Fight organized retail crime and reduce shrink

• Compete for growth, profitability and market share

• Cater to the diverse and ever-changing demands of consumers

• Manage and maximize the productivity of an increasingly diverse workforce

• Use cutting-edge technology to increase productivity and target the best shoppers

Technology

Education sessions will explore technology in the food industry, including new applications to improve efficiency and service, protect financial information and reduce costs. Topics include:

"Garbage In, Garbage Out: Why Supply Chain Efficiency Requires Accurate Data"

Greg Zwanziger of SUPERVALU INC. will detail the latest developments in electronic communications among leading retailers, wholesalers and suppliers, emphasizing the importance of accuracy as well as speed. Zwanziger will share how to use data to keep products in stock, forecast sales, manage replenishment, speed payment processing and facilitate data synchronization.

"What Comes After What Comes Next? Leveraging IT to Reinvent Your Business"

Thornton May of the IT Leadership Academy will explore the myriad changes occurring in the grocery industry, including potentially mandated security of a global food supply, municipal bans on trans fats, obesity and evolving preferences for organic foods. May will recommend techniques to anticipate and act upon these changes.

Snacks and Confectionary

Several education seminars will focus on the snack category, including key market trends and the forces driving them. These sessions will also address the impact of new products and changes in demographics and purchase behavior. Topics include:

"The Future of Snacks"

Kat Fay of Mintel International Group, Inc., will explore the positioning, flavors and functional trends in the snack category and discuss how healthier foods are changing the industry and influencing future product development.

General Merchandise/Health and Beauty Care (GM/HBC) and Pharmacy

GM/HBC and pharmacy are two of the fastest-growing categories in the supermarket industry. Experts will discuss ways retailers can improve service and increase sales in these areas. Topics include:

"Seasonal Sales Opportunities in GM/HBC"

David McConnell of the General Merchandise Distributors Council and Jon Hauptman of Willard Bishop, LLC, will speak about the untapped potential of seasonal GM/HBC products and offer marketing strategies, procurement advice and space planning suggestions. McConnell and Hauptman will propose ways for companies to increase their market share by integrating these products.

"Understanding Your Pharmacy’s Financials"

Dave Fong of Safeway Inc. will discuss the dramatic changes occurring within the pharmacy category, focusing on how pharmacist supply and demand, Medicare and Medicaid, generic drug pricing programs and pharmacy benefit managers are affecting pharmacy operations. Fong will describe what today’s supermarket pharmacies need to do in order to be successful.

"Unleashing Pharmacy’s Potential: What Pharmacy Can Do for Your Supermarket"

Thomas Blischok of Information Resources, Inc., will communicate the changes retailers should make to enhance their pharmacy departments and become health destinations. Blischok will also explore customer loyalty, health-focused pharmacy programs, marketing strategies and developing the knowledge and abilities of in-store pharmacists.

Consumer Packaged Goods, Equipment and Services

Discover the newest products and innovations in this category dedicated to consumers. Speakers will discuss consumer attitudes and trends in new products and popular categories, as well as innovative marketing strategies. Topics include:

"Branding 2.0: Developing a Winning Positioning for Your Brand"

Peter Dixon of Lippincott Mercer, a leading design and brand strategy consultant, will illustrate the steps critical to the success of brand positioning in the marketplace, from the development of strategic positioning to alignment with customer experience and store design.

"Next Generation Promotions"

Derek Gaskins of Giant Eagle Supermarkets, Frank Canon of Van’s, Inc., Mike Griswold of AMR Research and Scott Langdoc of Fujitsu Transaction Solutions, Inc., will offer a comprehensive picture of how demand-driven promotions can use technology to increase sales and margins for both large and small retailers. The speakers will examine the limitations of traditional promotion strategies and address methods to improve promotion planning and execution.

Four food industry events will join the FMI Show plus MARKETECHNICS®: the United Fresh Marketplace, presented by the United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA); All Things Organic, presented by the Organic Trade Association; the Fancy Food Show, presented by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) and the U.S. Food Export Showcase, presented by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

Attendees can register for The New FMI Show plus MARKETECHNICS® at www.fmishow.com.

Media can register for credentials at www.fmi.org/events/may/2007/media/.