VNU Business Publications to Create Industry's Largest Magazine

NEW YORK - VNU Business Publications USA announced on Monday that it will merge its leading food retail publications, Supermarket Business and Progressive Grocer, in order to create the largest magazine serving the food retailing industry. The new magazine will operate under the name Progressive Grocer, which has served the industry for nearly 80 years. The first issue of the merged publication will be available January 2002.

The new Progressive Grocer will provide coverage of news developments, product trends, human resource issues, and management strategies to executives, buyers, and store managers at food retailing chains and independent food retailers. The magazine, which will be tabloid size, will increase their number of print issues from 12 to 18 per year.

"Combining the two magazines is an obvious next step in streamlining the information provided to readers and giving advertisers access to the largest circulation of decision makers at the food retail chain headquarters, stores and wholesalers," states Jeffrey Friedman, vice president and group publisher of VNU's Retail/Food Group.

"The integration of the editorial focus with other VNU businesses, such as Trade Dimensions and A.C. Nielsen, provides a wide range of benefits to our customers," adds Tom Corcoran, publisher of Progressive Grocer. "It is through the diligence of our editorial, sales and operations teams, combined with the strategic input of some of the largest consumer brand companies, that we were able to merge both publications into the largest magazine serving the food retailing industry.
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