LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unified Grocers ("Unified" or the "Company") announced that it has reached an agreement with Sabey Corporation, Manager of 3301 South Norfolk, LLC, (the "Landlord") that enables the Company to continue to operate its wholesale grocery distribution business from its current Seattle facilities for an additional five years. The lease extension agreement covers the Company's existing 600,000 sq. ft. dry grocery warehouse, 300,000 sq. ft. refrigerated perishables warehouse and Seattle offices which are located at 3301 South Norfolk St., Seattle, Wash. The agreement extends Unified's occupancy to 2015.
The Company remains committed to developing and operating from a new distribution center in the Puget Sound area and has stated that it will continue to pursue all available alternatives to achieve this objective before the expiration of the new agreement.
"Extending the lease at our existing Seattle facilities was the best option for the Company at this particular time," said Al Plamann, president and chief executive officer, Unified Grocers. "The warehouses and offices have served us well for many years, and they will continue to do so through 2015. Additionally, our lease extension provides us with more time to carefully analyze new possibilities for a distribution center and also to monitor and evaluate changing economic and marketplace conditions. In the end, we believe these factors will result in a better long-term solution for our business in the Pacific Northwest."
About Unified Grocers, Inc.
Founded in 1922, Unified Grocers, Inc. is a retailer-owned wholesale grocery distributor that supplies independent retailers throughout the western United States. Unified and its subsidiaries, which generated approximately $4.1 billion in sales during fiscal 2009, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in the supermarket industry.
The Unified Grocers, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1214
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements about the future performance of Unified Grocers based on Management's assumptions and beliefs in light of information currently available to it. There are a variety of factors that could cause actual and future results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements made above. These factors are outlined in the Company's Form 10-K and other interim reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Furthermore, Unified undertakes no obligation to update, amend or clarify forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.