ID NEWS: IMA announces independence

Independent Marketing Alliance (IMA), Houston, has announced that its members have elected to operate as a totally independent organization. Consequently, they have given notice of resignation from buying groups with which they have been affiliated previously.

"While there is a resignation notice period which will be honored by our member companies, the decision to focus exclusively on IMA as their procurement and marketing mechanism is significant," comments Robert Planck, IMA president.

IMA is a "third force" in foodservice distribution, he adds, as it is owned and directed by a "select"group of regionally prominent distributors: CONCO Foodservice, Metairie, LA; The IJ Company, Knoxville, TN; and Reinhart FoodService, La Crosse, WI. These three broadliners boast cumulative sales of approximately $2.5 billion.

"IMA is neither a corporate distributor nor is it a traditional buying group. Members are independent industry-leading firms that share a culture of mutual cooperation and a commitment to aggressive marketing," Plank further notes.

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