CLEARLAKE, Calif. – IGA has announced that Ruth and Dennis Darling, owners of Clearlake-based Foods Etc. IGA, were named IGA 2012 USA International Retailers of the Year.

The Darlings were honored during the IGA Awards of Excellence Ceremony held Feb. 13 at the IGA Global Rally in Las Vegas.  

Ruth and Dennis Darling were chosen as an International Retailer of the Year – the highest retailer award bestowed by IGA – after a lengthy selection process that began in the fall of last year.

At that time IGA’s Licensed Distribution Center partners were asked to submit for candidacy only those retailers who had achieved Five Star status under IGA’s Assessment Program.

From those submitted, the Darlings and six other candidates were chosen as IGA 2012 USA Retailer of the Year Finalists.

Following a visit from IGA executives to each of the finalists’ stores, in December of 2011 the Darlings and two other IGA USA retailers were named IGA 2012 IGA USA International Retailers of the Year for having achieved exemplary excellence in retailing and advancement of the IGA brand.  

All three USA retailers were honored alongside IGA International Retailers of the Year from Australia and China during the Awards of Excellence Ceremony in Las Vegas.

Foods Etc. IGA is well-known throughout the area for offering not only an exceptional shopping experience, but also giving back to the community.

Foods Etc. IGA is a frequent sponsor of local community organization activities and a primary supporter of local food drives.

The Darlings and their Foods Etc. employees also are extremely active in community service, holding positions on the school board, the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, and acting as youth league coaches and volunteer firefighters.

“Here at Foods Etc. IGA our employees work together as a family to serve all of our community’s needs,” Dennis Darling said. “That means we give the people of Clearlake a warm and inviting place to shop, while at the same time doing everything we can to make Clearlake a better place to live. We’re honored to be recognized for doing a job that we love so much.”

“Foods Etc. IGA is an integral part of the Clearlake community,” IGA USA CEO Mark Batenic said. “Dennis and Ruth’s extreme devotion to there customers, community and independent retailing made them stand out in our prestigious group of candidates, earning him IGA’s top honor of International Retailer of the Year.”   

IGA is the world’s largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $31 billion per year.

The alliance includes nearly 5,000 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, supported by 36 distribution centers and more than 55 major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items.

IGA has operations in 46 of the United States and more than 30 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents.