|
LOS ANGELES — At the Annual Shareholders Meeting of Unified Western Grocers, Inc. held here on February 26, President and Chief Executive Officer Alfred A. Plamann told members and customers that fiscal 2002 will be a productive and profitable year for the wholesale grocery cooperative.
Calling 2001 a "most unstable and unsettling year," Plamann said that the combination of a deteriorating economy, a volatile West Coast power supply problem and the September 11 terrorism attacks tested businesses as never before. Perseverance, he said, was the key to weathering the year's challenges.
"Our company and our employees showed that we are indeed resilient when it comes to dealing with — and moving past — potentially stressful situations," Plamann said. "During the past year, we had a number of very positive accomplishments that bode well for the future health and prosperity of our company."
Among the fiscal 2001 accomplishments cited by Plamann:
- Sales remained steady at $3 billion despite increased competitive marketplace pressure on a number of fronts;
- Continued corporate growth with 51 new stores added to the cooperative's membership roster during the past year;
- Exceeding cost-savings synergy targets for the second consecutive year as a result of the September 1999 merger between Certified Grocers of California and United Grocers;
- Reorganizing Grocers Specialty Company into three divisions — GM/HBC, Hispanic products, and Gourmet Specialties (gourmet, health, organic, natural and non-Hispanic ethnic foods) — so it is better positioned to capture specialty products sales in the marketplace;
- Technology investments and other improvements in the company's warehouses and transportation system that have increased efficiency and productivity.
Looking to the year ahead, Plamann said that the climate for business will continue to be challenging. He cited uncertainties associated with the economy and the war on terrorism, rising costs of various products and services, increased attention on food safety issues and increased scrutiny of corporations by governmental regulatory authorities as a result of well-publicized financial difficulties encountered by several publicly-traded companies.
However, Plamann added that action taken by management during the past year has put Unified Western Grocers in position to "fly with the wind — not against it. [In 2002], we intend to turn the winds of challenge into gusts of opportunity to drive us forward to success."
Unified Western Grocers, Inc. is a retailer-owned grocery distributor that supplies independent retailers throughout Western United States. Unified and its subsidiaries, which generate approximately $3 billion in sales during the 2001 fiscal year, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in the supermarket industry.
|
