Commentary From Our President

Select Article July 2008 - HBC Private Label is Gaining in Slumping Economy June 2008 - Nutrition Bars are fueling profitable growth in Non-Foods May 2008 - Pennington Quality Market April 2008 - Let’s Not Kill the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg March 2008 - Getting Serious about Greener & Safer Toys February 2008 - New Supermarkets Take Off With Expanded Non-Foods January 2008 - Looking Great in 08 December 2007 - Supermarkets are the Destination for Selling Holiday Goods November 2007 - Why Supermarkets Will Flourish: Roche’s New Westborough Store Tells the Tale October 2007 - CFLs Will Create a 3-Way Win Replacing Conventional Light Bulbs September 2007 - Satisfying Diverse Customer Preferences August 2007 - Vitamin and Supplements Riding the Wellness Trend July 2007 - The “Greening” of HBC June 2007 - Selling Toys in Supermarkets April 2007 - Farewell to Our Good Friend & Leader, Julien Lacourse March 2007 - Innovation and Marketing – Drive the Oral Care Category February 2007 - Non-Foods’ Role in Survival Strategy January 2007 - If Wal-Mart Weakens… It will Be a Happy New Year for Supermarkets December 2006 - Happier Holidays Thanks to United Way November 2006 - Big Y — 70 Years Young October 2006 - High Performance Batteries Deserve Expanded Shelf Space September 2006 - Chain Drug Merger Could Benefit Supermarkets August 2006 - Selling General Merchandise from Airspace July 2006 - How to Change a Horror Story into a Bright Sunny Novel June 2006 - More Time on the Selling Floor May 2006 - Congratulations to Chris Flynn – MFA’s “Man of the Year” April 2006 - HBC Private Label is a Win for Both Consumers & Retailers March 2006 - Happy 40th Birthday, Griffin Report! February 2006 - Why “Speed to Shelf” is Essential for HBC January 2006 - Top 10 Non-Food Events & Products in 2005 December 2005 - Seasonal Non-Foods ‘You’ve Got to Buy Goods to Sell Goods’ November 2005 - “De-Consolidation”: A Patch of Blue in a Gray Sky October 2005 - Floorstands are Basic for Building Non-Foods September 2005 - Gaining HBC Market Share Means Back to Basics–Again August 2005 - Three “C’s” Spell Success For Two Family Owned Chains July 2005 - Merchandising Non-Foods to Asian Consumers June 2005 - Merchandising Non-Foods to Hispanic Shoppers May 2005 - Merchandising Non-Foods in Upscale Locations April 2005 - Under Fierce Competition, ”Hands On” Beats “Hands Off” Every Time! March 2005 - Gillette: a Big Company with Warmth and Class February 2005 - Looking Ahead: The Big Picture for Supermarket Non-Foods Appears Brighter Than Ever January 2005 - Another Year of Unforgettable Events December 2004 - The Perfect Moment on our Company’s Calendar! November 2004 - No Kidding Around– Fun Toothbrushes Make Great Stocking Stuffers! October 2004 - The Sky Is Not Falling For Supermarket HBC September 2004 - Imperial at 65: Thriving on Perseverance & Commitment August 2004 - Focusing on Stockouts July 2004 - GMDC: Non-Foods “Invaluable Assist” June 2004 - Power Up to Win More Battery Sales May 2004 - Retaining Good People is Key to In-Store Service Performance April 2004 - The Service Advantage – Strong Execution and Maximizing Assortments March 2004 - No Time like the Present to put our Best Foot Forward in HBC February 2004 - Happy 90th Birthday to Our Founder, Frank B. Sleeper January 2004 - The 10 Best of Non-Foods in 2003 December 2003 - Ready to Face the New Year With Health, Happiness, Prosperity and Resolve October 2003 - Looking at the Photo Business Picture September 2003 - The Wonderful World of General Merchandise Promotions August 2003 - Vacationing on Cape Cod With Non-Foods on My Mind July 2003 - Whatever Happened to Fleming? June 2003 - Remembering Mike Demoulas May 2003 - Making Suncare the Sunny Side to Spring-Summer Success April 2003 - In Spring, A Retailer’s Fancy Turns to Thoughts of Seasonals Non-Food February 2003 - Part II: Boosting Non-Foods in 2003 February 2003 - Part III: Boosting Non-Foods in 2003 January 2003 - Boosting Non-Foods’ outlook in 2003: Stress Value Products, Fundamentals October 2002 - A Win-Win for Non-Foods September 2002 - Happy Holidays – in September August 2002 - Will Supermarkets Climb Aboard the Oral Care Bandwagon? July 2002 - Finding Decor’s Happy Medium for Non-Food June 2002 - Finding More GM/HBC Profits at the Checkstand May 2002 - Kohl’s big entry-What Does It Mean for Supermarkets? April 2002 - Summertime & The GM Profits Are Easy February 2002 - Kmart’s Pain, Supermarkets Gain January 2002 - Ten Products & Programs That Made a Difference in 2001 December 2001 - A Man For All Seasons November 2001 - “9-11”: Remembering & Bonding This Thanksgiving September 2001 - Making Micromarketing Work August 2001 - Full Pegs Serve Battery Room July 2001 - Distributors Prove Value… Again June 2001 - Ads that Sell May 2001 - A Profit Center Waiting to Happen April 2001 - Traditions in Non-Foods Merchandising March 2001 - Upside to the Down Side March 2001 - Thank You, Griffin Report, for 35 Wonderful Years and Your Support of Supermarket Non-Foods! March 2001 - Constant Focus On Service Ensures A Collaborative Partnership February 2001 - Benefits Flow at Housewares Show January 2001 - 2001: A Shelf Space Odyssey for Supermarket Non-Foods December 2000 - Holidays’ Gift to GM in Supermarkets November 2000 - The People Difference October 2000 - Pressing the Flesh at GMDC September 2000 - Small Trees in GM’s Forest August 2000 - Seeing the Trees in the Forest July 2000 - Rethinking Outpost Displays June 2000 - “Independents Day” May 2000 - It’s Seasonal Show Time April 2000 - New Trends Brighten Sun Care March 2000 - Outsourcing Non-Foods Reduces Costly Store Employee Turnover and Improves Performance February 2000 - 10 New Year’s Resolutions for the New Millennium January 2000 - Back to the Future December 1999 - New Year’s Eve Presents GM/HBC Sales Opportunities November 1999 - Y2K: Much Ado About Something October 1999 - On-line Grocery: “Virtual” vs. “Bricks and Mortar” September 1999 - Cut Handling Costs with EOQ July 1999 - 60 Years Young June 1999 - Latching on to Direct Imports May 1999 - Changing Roles for Manufacturers/Brokers in the Retail Equation PART II April 1999 - Changing Roles for Manufacturers/Brokers in the Retail Equation March 1999 - Distributors’ Millennium Credo: ‘Retailer-Driven’ February 1999 - Housewares Show Delivers the Goods January 1999 - 1998’s “10 Best Picks” December 1998 - Power-Full Batteries November 1998 - Outposts Are ‘In’ for Incremental Profits October 1998 - GMDC – Non-Foods’ Guiding Light September 1998 - Stationery: New Trends Benefit ‘Old’ Category August 1998 - For Aging Baby Boomers It’s Skin Care Time! July 1998 - Kitchen Center New Destination Hub June 1998 - “Efficient Product Assortment:” Is It Building Sales? May 1998 - “Solution Selling” April 1998 - Riding the Nutritional Bandwagon March 1998 - Service with a smile February 1998 - Making Micromarketing Efficient January 1998 - Top 10 Non-Food Resolutions for 1998 December 1997 - It’s still a wonderful world November 1997 - Outsourcing at Ft. Devens October 1997 - Making It Without Pharmacy September 1997 - GM/HBC’s secret weapon: seasonal selling August 1997 - The Case for “Destination Centers” August 1997 - Candles: New Dollars & Sense July 1997 - Deja Vu All Over Again with Bar Soap June 1997 - Hats Off to Food this Memorial Day