LOS ANGELES — Ben Schwartz, long-time supermarket owner and operator in Southern California and a nationally-recognized leader of the retail grocery industry, was presented with Unified Western Grocers' first-ever "Retail Grocery Visionary Award" at a special dinner in his honor on June 21, 2005.

Unified's Retail Grocery Visionary Award was established this year to recognize independent retail grocers who, through their practice and example, have consistently demonstrated initiative, creativity and leadership within their own businesses and, in the process, have inspired others to think and act creatively and with passion in the retail grocery field.  To be eligible for the award, retailers must be — or must have been — a member of Unified Western Grocers or one of its predecessor companies.

For many years, Ben Schwartz owned and operated the Foods Company, a successful chain of supermarkets in Los Angeles that grew from a single store opened in the early 1900s by his father.  Long known as one of the most innovative retail companies in Southern California, the Foods Company regularly featured some of the newest ideas in the grocery business thanks largely to Schwartz, who literally traveled around the world in search of new products, services and selling techniques that he could implement in his stores.

Schwartz also spent much of his career in service to the grocery industry.  A former Chairman of the Board of Certified Grocers of California, Ltd. (Unified's predecessor company), Schwartz served as a director of the Los Angeles-based grocery wholesaler for more than 40 years.  He also worked for the grocery industry at the national level by serving in leadership positions for many years at the Food Marketing Institute and several national retail and wholesale associations that preceded it. 

 "Ben Schwartz is truly a legend and an icon in our industry," said Al Plamann, president and chief executive officer, Unified Western Grocers, who presented the award.  "I cannot think of anyone who is more deserving of this honor — throughout his career he has been a gentleman retailer who brought great passion to his work, great insight to his colleagues and great service and dedication to our industry."

Because the concept of "Retail Grocery Visionary" and the name of Ben Schwartz are synonymous, Plamann said it is appropriate for Unified to permanently attach his name to the award in order to more clearly communicate the high standard that it represents.  The "Ben Schwartz Retail Grocery Visionary Award" will henceforth be presented to outstanding independent retailers who personify the initiative, creativity and leadership qualities of Ben Schwartz, according to Plamann.

In addition to a special event honoring the award winner, Plamann said that Unified will create a permanent symbol representing the "Ben Schwartz Retail Grocery Visionary Award" that will be on put on display at the company's headquarters in Commerce, Calif.

"We are very excited about this award because we believe it will not only inspire our members to achieve greater levels of success, it will perpetuate the name, ideals, principles and spirit of Ben Schwartz, one of the true legends and innovators of our industry," Plamann said.

Unified Western Grocers, Inc. is a retailer-owned wholesale grocery distributor that supplies independent retailers throughout the Western United States.  Unified and its subsidiaries, which generated approximately $3 billion in sales during fiscal 2004, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in the supermarket industry.