Directors also elected Edmund Kevin Davis, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Bristol Farms Markets, Carson, Calif., as First Vice Chairman of Unified, and re-elected Richard L. Wright, President, Wright's Foodliner, Inc., Eugene, Ore., as Second Vice Chairman.

At the annual meeting, shareholders elected a slate of 16 directors to serve one-year terms on Unified's Board.  The slate of directors included, for the first time, three non-shareholders of the organization.  They are:

• Dieter Huckestein, President, Hotel Operations, Owned and Managed, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Beverly Hills, Calif.
  
• John D. Lang, President & Chief Executive Officer, Epson America, Inc., Long Beach, Calif.
  
• Thomas S. Sayles, Vice President, Governmental and Community Affairs, Sempra Energy, San Diego, Calif.

"We felt it was prudent to make space on our Board for outside directors who have business expertise and perspectives that extend well beyond the grocery industry," said Lou Amen, chairman, Unified Western Grocers.  "In an increasingly challenging climate for business, we believe that this decision is the correct one for Unified."

The other individuals elected by shareholders at the Annual Meeting, all of whom also will serve one-year terms on the Board, are:

• John Berberian, President, Berberian Enterprises, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif.
  
• David M. Bennett, Co-owner, Mollie Stone's Markets. Mill Valley, Calif.
  
• Darioush Khaledi, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, K.V. Mart Co., Carson, Calif.
  
• Jay McCormack, Owner-Operator, Alamo Foods, Inc. and Co-Owner, Glen Avon Apple Market, 29 Palms, Calif.
  
• Douglas A. Nidiffer, President and Chief Executive Officer, C&K Market, Inc., Brookings, Ore.
  
• Peter J. O'Neal, President, White Salmon Foods, Inc. and Estacada Foods, Inc., Estacada, Ore.
  
• Michael A. Provenzano, President, Pro & Son's Inc., President, Provo, Inc. and President, Pro & Family, Inc., Ontario, Calif.
  
• Mimi R. Song, President and Chief Executive Officer, Super Center Concepts, Inc., Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
  
• Robert E. Stiles, President, Gelson's Markets, Encino, Calif.
  
• Kenneth R. Tucker, President, Evergreen Markets, Inc., Greenville, Calif.

Unified Western Grocers, Inc. is a retailer-owned grocery distributor that supplies independent retailers throughout the Western United States.  Unified and its subsidiaries, which generated approximately $2.8 billion in sales during the 2002 fiscal year, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in the supermarket industry.