TORONTO: December 3, 2009. . . Dave Delchiaro, Chair of Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) Board of Directors and John F.T. Scott, President and CEO of CFIG, announced Summerhill Market in Toronto, Ontario as the 2009 recipient of CFIG’s David C. Parsons Award of Excellence in Specialty Food Retailing; the Gold award in the Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Award, in the Specialty category.

 

Summerhill Market was officially recognized on Tuesday, October 27^th at Grocery Innovations Canada 2009, Canada’s premier grocery exposition and conference, in front of a gala audience of over 500 leading grocery industry professionals. John F.T. Scott said, “Independent grocers continually raise the bar for innovative retailing. CFIG is proud to showcase the leadership and commitment to excellence that these retailers possess.”

 

The Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year is the most prestigious CFIG award. From coast-to-coast, Canadian independent grocers vie for this coveted title in the Large, Medium, Small Surface and Specialty categories. Each of the competing stores is visited personally by a highly respected retail management expert, who evaluates competing stores based on retailing excellence and innovation, store team performance, customer service, space usage, freshness and cleanliness. Once regional finalists are determined, the stores with the most points are audited once again and finalists go on to compete at the national level. Awards are then presented to the best Large, Medium and Small Surface grocers at Gold, Silver and Bronze levels. There is also an Award for the top scoring Specialty Store presented again in Gold, Silver and Bronze levels.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1962, which continues to be a collaborative community, equipping and enabling independent, franchised and specialty grocers for sustainable success. Representing over 4000 grocery retailers from every part of Canada, CFIG is a strong and united voice for independent grocers, providing programs for operational excellence, facilitating educational and training programs and fostering enabling-relationships among retailers and suppliers. CFIG is a respected organization that speaks confidently for its retail members to industry, government, and the consumer.