For Immediate Release:
October 15, 2009

Contact:
Michael Norton
(207) 885-3132

Hannaford Supermarkets Named Climate Champion
Company receives national environmental award, just days after being honored in Maine for its commitment to clean air.

SCARBOROUGH, Maine – Hannaford Supermarkets will be recognized this evening with a “Climate Champion” award for its use of innovative technologies and business practices that help protect the environment.

Clean Air – Cool Planet will present Hannaford with the award because the company has proven to be one of the most effective retailers in the country at reducing energy use and pollution. Based in Portsmouth, N.H., Clean Air – Cool Planet is a national organization focused on promoting practices and policies that fight global warming.

“Hannaford Supermarkets has long been a leader in recognizing the need for action on climate change,” said Adam Markham, chief executive officer of Clean Air – Cool Planet. “Its recent opening of the most environmentally advanced supermarket in the country is a capstone to this history of corporate climate action.”

SunEdison, a solar-power company based in Maryland, will join Hannaford as recipients of 2009 Climate Champion awards in the “Leadership in Corporate Climate Action” category. Winners in other categories are Dr. Susan F. Tierney, The Chewonki Foundation, Furman University, U.S. Rep Edward J. Markey, Sven-Olof Lindblad and the Town of Temple, N.H.

The awards ceremony will take place at Boston Harbor Hotel, starting at 6 p.m.

“This is wonderful recognition for our associates. They constantly find innovative solutions to environmental challenges, and work hard to make sure Hannaford keeps its commitment to care for our communities and, in this case, our planet,” said Art Aleshire, senior vice president of corporate development. “People may not realize just how many environmental initiatives we pursue because so much of that work happens behind the scenes.”

To implement sustainable business practices throughout the company, Hannaford has:

• Installed photovoltaic solar arrays at five stores. These arrays generated more than 200,000 kilowatts of clean energy, enough to power 270 homes for a year, through the first nine months of 2009.

• Collected data, as the first step in plans to build a wind turbine at its Schodack, N.Y., distribution center. The turbine is expected to provide the facility with 10 to 20 percent of its electricity. Wind energy is being considered for other Hannaford locations as well.

• Equipped its fleet trucks with energy-saving "hybrid" refrigeration units that run on battery power and allow the tractor engine to be shut off while stopped, saving energy and reducing air pollution. New tractors and trailers are outfitted with air curtains that enable the vehicles to move down the road with less air turbulence and less drag, increasing fuel efficiency.

• Helped customers avoid using 56 million single-use bags through the promotion of reusable bags in 2008. This kept the bags out of landfills, saved energy and cut down on the carbon emissions involved in producing and shipping single-use bags.

On Oct. 9, the American Lung Association in Maine recognized Hannaford’s commitment to protecting the environment with its “Healthy Air Award.” The association praised Hannaford’s overall environmental record and cited, in particular, the company’s new Cony Street Hannaford store in Augusta, Maine, which is the first supermarket in the world to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The store is expected to use 59 percent less energy than a typical supermarket of comparable size and amenities. All of the remaining energy needs are being met with wind power, purchased through renewable energy certificates.

“The Cony Street store is a learning laboratory for us, and is already helping us to identify ways that we can reduce operating costs and improve the energy and environmental performance of our other stores,” said Harrison Horning, Hannaford’s director of facility services and energy. “We know that by using less energy and producing less waste, we cut costs. Those savings help us to offer competitive prices to our customers and do our part to help the environment.”

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About Hannaford Supermarkets
Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 167 stores and employs more than 27,000 associates in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. Most Hannaford locations have full-service pharmacies and all stores feature Guiding Stars, the nation's first storewide nutrition navigation system. Hannaford is owned by Delhaize Group of Brussels, Belgium.