The Independent Grocers Alliance recently announced Bob Rybick, owner of Geissler’s Supermarket IGA in Somers, Connecticut, has been named IGA International Retailer of the Year.
The awards process began in the fall of 2019, when IGA USA Licensed Distribution Companies were each asked to submit a candidate for IGA USA International Retailer of the Year. The planned Awards of Excellence Ceremony – originally scheduled for March 2020 – was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rescheduled event took place on Sept. 20 at the IGA Awards Gala at Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, held during the National Grocers Association’s annual event, The NGA Show.
At that event, five best-in-class IGA retailers were named IGA USA Retailers of the Year, and Rybick was awarded IGA’s top global honor of IGA International Retailer of the Year.
IGA International Retailer of the Year
Bob Rybick
Geissler’s Supermarket IGA
Somers, Connecticut
Serviced by: Bozzuto’s Inc.
IGA USA Retailer of the Year
Don and Judy Gabriele
Nemenz IGA
Struthers, Ohio
Serviced by: Laurel Grocery Co.
IGA USA Retailer of the Year
Ron Martin
Grant’s IGA Supermarkets
Bluewell, West Virginia
Serviced by: Merchants Distributors LLC.
IGA USA Retailer of the Year
Tyler Myers
North Albany IGA
Albany, Oregon
Serviced by: UNFI – Centralia
IGA USA Retailer of the Year
Chang So
Hollister Super IGA
Hollister, California
Serviced by: C&S Wholesale Grocery Inc.
“When we first visited the stores nominated for IGA Retailer of the Year back in December of 2019, no one could have predicted the challenges quickly coming our way,” said IGA CEO John Ross. “Throughout it all, our IGA Retailers of the Year have continued to shine, demonstrating remarkable flexibility, resilience and innovation. From creative sourcing solutions highlighting their local roots to going beyond what was required of them to keep their customers, communities and team members safe, we are so proud of this diverse and accomplished group of retailers – and none more so than IGA International Retailer of the Year Bob Rybick.
“Bob and his team have built a lasting legacy of local, family ownership and community commitment through their work at Geissler’s Supermarkets IGA, leading the way with the intimate, intensely local experiences shoppers want,” Ross said.
“It’s an honor to have been named IGA’s International Retailer of the Year,” Rybick said. “This award belongs to our entire Geissler’s team throughout our stores, as their dedication to our customers and communities is unparalleled and makes Geissler’s what we are today – an independent who can not only compete with chain grocery stores but best them in our commitment to providing a community-focused shopping experience. We’re proud of the relationships we’ve developed with local farmers and producers and our ability to use those partnerships to deliver our shoppers the freshest local produce, meat and products available.”
Nearly a century after the first Geissler’s store opened in 1923, fourth-generation Geissler’s Supermarkets President Rybick is always looking for new ways to make his seven family-owned grocery stores stand out as shoppers’ choice for convenient, fresh food with a local focus.
Over the course of the last several years, Rybick enhanced the local identity of the Somers store, working to grow relationships with local farmers and producers and installing signage and new decor elements to highlight the products they create. Today, the store serves up hundreds of local items to its shoppers, and Rybick can be seen promoting those products in the store’s weekly digital ad and on the “Geissler’s Growers” page of geisslers.com.
Watch Rybick accept the awards here and tour his store with IGA CEO John Ross here.
IGA is the world’s largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $40 billion per year. The alliance includes nearly 6,000 supermarkets worldwide, supported by dozens of distribution centers and major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items. IGA has stores in 43 of the United States and more than 30 countries, commonwealths and territories. For more information about IGA, visit the IGA consumer website at iga.com, or the business site at becomeiga.com.
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2020 IGA Awards Of Excellence Ceremony, Las Vegas, Sept. 20, 2021
