Community spirit

Approximately 120 SPAR Gran Canaria employees and their families enjoyed a day in nature with workshops for kids, including building bird feeders and musical butterfly activities. The eco-friendly day concluded with a countryside picnic and a guided tour of Finca de Osorio.

Since 2007, SPAR Gran Canaria has partnered with the Foresta Foundation, actively contributing to environmental initiatives. Over 17 years, collaborative efforts resulted in successful reforestations in various locations on the island. Locations include Morro Santiago, Tenteniguada, Finca de Osorio, Valleseco, Los Llanos de la Pez, Finca Las Tabaibas, Artenara, and San Juan De Dios. The commitment continues to create a better living environment for the future, emphasising the retail company’s respect for the land.

SPAR Gran Canaria has an extensive responsible retailing programme. Initiatives include supporting local growers, reducing its environmental footprint through generation power through photovoltaic panels and more.

Source: SPAR Gran Canaria

Read more about SPAR Spain

About SPAR Spain

SPAR Spain was founded in 1959 when a group of wholesalers who wished to join an international organisation came together. As a result, the brand became the first voluntary trading chain to be established in Spain, having been granted a license by SPAR International. Together, 13 regional SPAR wholesalers actively continue the expansion of the brand across the country.

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The two new Volvo FM Electric trucks are equipped with innovative battery technology and regenerative braking, offering a clean and efficient solution for long-distance deliveries. Additionally, the company is further reducing its carbon footprint, partnering with Certas to utilise fridge trailers powered by HVO fuel. HVO, a biofuel produced from renewable sources, offers a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional diesel.

The initial two electric HGVs are just the first phase of A.F. Blakemore’s commitment to electric transportation. As part of the UK Government’s Electric Freightway Programme, two additional electric HGVs are set to be delivered in March, further expanding the company’s zero-emission fleet.

“We are thrilled to be at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution in the convenience retail sector,” said Caoire Blakemore, A.F. Blakemore’s Responsible Business Director. “The addition of these electric HGVs demonstrates our commitment to reducing our environmental impact. We believe this is just the beginning of our journey towards becoming a net zero carbon company by 2040 and we are excited to see the positive impact these vehicles will have on our operations and the environment.”

Source: A.F. Blakemore & Son Ltd

Read more about SPAR UK

About SPAR UK

The United Kingdom became a SPAR member in 1956 when SPAR International granted the SPAR licence to a group of independent wholesalers. There are five regional organisations in the UK, continually building the brand’s presence. A central office in London provides national marketing and buying services for the group. SPAR UK comprises independently owned, licensed, retailers and company-owned stores.

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Over a million orange nets, featuring the AIRC logo, will be available at 600 SPAR, EUROSPAR, and INTERSPAR stores. The nets will feature SPAR brand oranges sourced from a controlled supply chain, ensuring the highest quality. Buying the specially packaged 2.5 kg blood orange nets will contribute to cancer research as DESPAR Italia will donate 50 cents to the AIRC Foundation for each purchase.

DESPAR Italia’s General Manager, Filippo Fabbri, expressed enthusiasm about joining AIRC’s “Blood Oranges for Research” initiative, highlighting the campaign’s social significance and potential impact of customer participation. Mr Fabbri invited customers, associates, and communities to unite in supporting cancer research, emphasising the collective impact in advancing innovative solutions and treatments.

Source: DESPAR Italia

Read more news about SPAR Italy

About SPAR Italy

SPAR Italy, known locally as DESPAR Italia, was first granted the SPAR Brand’s license in 1959. The first store opened in 1960. With it, SPAR became the first partnership of retailers and wholesalers to operate in the country. In addition, SPAR Italy licenses regional partners, all of whom work together to grow the brand across the country.

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The 13,996 SPAR stores worldwide that sell food and grocery items are the backbones of our communities. SPAR employees work daily to keep shelves stocked and to provide communities with essential services that help them thrive.

On Supermarket Employee Day, we celebrate SPAR employees across the network who continue to serve their local communities.

Award winners

The remarkable work of SPAR employees does not go unnoticed. Throughout the network, retailers and their teams have been recognised through awards.

SPAR Australia awards SPAR stores for excellence across different categories, including fresh food, food-to-go, store formats and Community. SPAR Australia also has a ‘Little SPAR Award’ which recognises the contribution to SPAR and the independent industry by SPAR Independent Retailers. In 2023, the family run SPAR store in Malanda received the award recognising their vital role in the local community.

In Austria, approximately half of the 1,428 stores are run by independent retailers. With this in mind, SPAR Austria presents the “SPAR Golden Fir” awards to the top independent retailers in each of the six regions each year.

On European Retail Day in December 2023, SPAR Hungary highlighted the importance of the profession by recognising two SPAR colleagues. Magdolna Bíróné Kósa, deputy manager of the INTERSPAR Hypermarket in Székesfehérvár, and Sándor Polyák, a respected independent retailer, were both honoured for their contributions in the company’s store network.

Similarly, SPAR Sri Lanka brings all 670 team members together each year to celebrate success at an annual awards ceremony. Recent graduates as well as those reaching significant milestones at the company are highlighted, as well as award winners. In 2023, the coveted Star Performer of the Year award was won by Lakshitha Dissanayake. The ‘Think Retail’ award was given to Lakmali Igalahewa, and the ‘Think DC’ award was won by Dinusha Yatiwella.

Local Champions

Across SPAR, the retailers become integral parts of the local community. This is the case with Susan Hutchinson and her family, who run a SPAR store in Scotland. The Hutchinson family have owned and operated the store for over 65 years, and are staples in the community. Susan took over the store from her father, and runs it alongside her son Ryan.

Meanwhile, Xjengis Saliji opened his first SPAR store in his home town of Svendborg, Denmark at the age of 25. Xjengis has been involved in retail since the age of 15, and worked his way up the SPAR ladder and gaining experience before opening his own store. Now, Xjengis and his 17 team members operate the SPAR store in Christianvej, focusing on creating a friendly atmosphere and strong community bond, in addition to a diverse product range.

Sources: SPAR Austria, SPAR Australia, SPAR Hungary, SPAR Denmark, SPAR UK and SPAR Sri Lanka.

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The improvements are visible across 8 renovated stores and 3 newly open stores on the island.

The 8 renovated stores received enhanced central refrigeration systems, optimising energy consumption. Additionally, the stores switched to electronic shelf edge labels, reducing paper usage, as well as installing vertical refrigeration cabinets and energy-saving LED lights. In total, SPAR Gran Canaria invested over €1 million to these sustainable solutions.

This commitment from SPAR Gran Canaria extended to the 3 new supermarkets which opened their doors during 2023. SPAR Bahía Feliz, SPAR Taliarte and SPAR Puerto Azul all opened with these new climate-friendly features, with an investment of more than €710,000.

In total, SPAR invested €1.79 million to promote energy efficiency and contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of these 11 stores.

Sustainability across the business

SPAR Gran Canaria’s commitment to energy optimisation expands beyond the stores. The retail organisation expanded one of the solar generation plants last year, resulting in a 25% increase in energy from the solar plants. This year, SPAR Gran Canaria will look to increase the amount of renewable energy created by installing a canopy with photovoltaic panels at the entrance to the logistics centre in El Goro. This will provide energy as well as an area of shade for vehicles.

Source: SPAR Gran Canaria

Read more about SPAR Spain.

About SPAR Spain

SPAR Spain was founded in 1959 when a group of wholesalers who wished to join an international organisation came together. As a result, the brand became the first voluntary trading chain to be established in Spain, having been granted a license by SPAR International. Together, 13 regional SPAR wholesalers actively continue the expansion of the brand across the country.

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“Achieving environmental sustainability is a strategic issue for SPAR Hungary. It is an important aim to reduce waste production, help prevent waste generation and increase recycling rates. In 2023 a number of measures were taken that align with these goals. Examples include using less plastic in the packaging of certain products and saving a significant amount of plastic film by covering some shipments with rolling rack plastic blankets. Additionally, new digital solutions have greatly reduced paper-based administration. One of the important steps in this area will be the uniform introduction of the so-called ‘IFCO’ storage containers in the SPAR network this year. This will not only strengthen food safety, but also enables the company to operate in an environmentally-conscious manner,” said Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

Fully recyclabe containers

By utilising the new fully recyclable containers, the fresh and vegetable sections in stores will be more uniform and well-designed. These containers also meet high food safety standards, and will result in significantly less cardboard, plastic and wood from one-way containers being used. The new containers are robust and collapsible which means considerable cost savings during transport. The containers are easy to clean and reduce the risk of damage to the groceries during transport and handling, which is particularly important for fruit and vegetables.

SPAR Hungary has been testing the new containers since September 2023 and the experience has been very positive. By the end of the year, the system is expected to be introduced in all company-owned stores.

Source: SPAR Hungary

Read more about SPAR Hungary

About SPAR Hungary

The first SPAR Supermarket opened in Hungary in 1992, following the acquisition by ASPIAG (Austria SPAR International AG) of a majority stake in General Kereskedelmi Rt. SPAR Hungary is one of the country’s largest employers, with a network of company-owned and independently run stores operating nationwide.

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SPAR Gran Canaria is committed to improving shoppers’ experiences and contributing to the island’s economy. In 2023, several campaigns were run, leading to a total of 2,700 shopping bags worth €102,000, discount vouchers of €25,000, and wallet cards worth €45,400 being given to customers.

Savings throughout the year

SPAR Gran Canaria has planned several initiatives throughout the year aimed at providing savings for customers. This includes fortnightly promotional offers, extensive fruit and vegetable deals every Wednesday, and special offers on the last weekend of the month.

Loyalty card

Over and above these initiatives, families can benefit from the ‘My SPAR Club’ loyalty card. This provides all card holders with numerous advantages, such as special offers and access to discount coupons. In addition, the loyalty card applies a fixed discount to all purchases made by larger families in any of the 196 SPAR stores in Gran Canaria. To be eligible for this system, families apply for the ‘My SPAR Club’ loyalty card and provide official documentation from the Government of the Canary Islands. Once processed, these families have access to direct discounts on all purchases they make.

Source: SPAR Gran Canaria

Read more about SPAR Spain

About SPAR Spain

SPAR Spain was founded in 1959 when a group of wholesalers who wished to join an international organisation came together. As a result, the brand became the first voluntary trading chain to be established in Spain, having been granted a license by SPAR International. Together, 13 regional SPAR wholesalers actively continue the expansion of the brand across the country.

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The Top Employers Institute, known for its globally recognised programme, supports organisations in evaluating, comparing, and optimising their work environment, based on over 400 HR criteria. Only a select few companies that excel in all essential aspects during the rigorous audit receive the certification.

SPAR Netherlands was again awarded its Top Employer status for its outstanding performance in diverse areas. These include talent management, business strategy, work environment, and the promotion of diversity, inclusion and wellbeing.

Marie-José Rutten, Director of HR & Organisational Development at SPAR Netherlands said: “Despite these challenging times, we took another great step last year. For example, by investing in the areas of involvement, self-management of development and vitality”.

Shared vision

John van der Ent, CEO SPAR Netherlands, highlighted that everyone in the organisation shares the vision of the company as a good employer. “At SPAR, we believe fully in being a good employer. A lot of work and time is dedicated to ensuring this recognition is deserved and to its retention. The results of our efforts prove that being a good employer benefits everyone. Our culture and working atmosphere reflect what we stand for and how we all work together. The fact that we are performing better than the benchmark reflects this.”

Continuous progress

In 2024, important themes are again on the agenda, continuing the momentum gained in the past few years. The company will continue to take steps in the areas that determine the happiness at work of employees, such as mental wellbeing and togetherness.

Source: SPAR Netherlands

Read more about SPAR Netherlands

About SPAR Netherlands

The SPAR brand was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 by the Dutch wholesaler Adriaan van Well. It was established as a voluntary chain of grocers under the name DESPAR – an acronym of a slogan created by van Well to describe the organisation: Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig. SPAR Netherlands’ main distribution centre in Waalwijk supports licensed independent retailers operating throughout the country.

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Additionally, SPAR takes responsibility for transporting apples from Valleseco to its fruit and vegetable division in Mercalaspalmas. The produce is then distributed to 196 SPAR outlets across the island’s 21 municipalities. The Reineta is a popular green speckled apple – a pippin variety – known for its irregular size and shape and sour-sweet succulent taste. It can be eaten fresh and is popular for use in apple pies.

The 2023 sales exceeded initial forecasts at 10,800kg, which is 2,800kg over the original projection. Compared to the previous year, the 2023 harvest saw a 12% increase in fruit sales.

SPAR Gran Canaria maintains its commitment to purchasing local, sustainable produce through direct collaboration with over 200 island farmers and stockbreeders.

Source: SPAR Gran Canaria

Read more about SPAR Spain

About SPAR Spain

SPAR Spain was founded in 1959 when a group of wholesalers who wished to join an international organisation came together. As a result, the brand became the first voluntary trading chain to be established in Spain, having been granted a license by SPAR International. Together, 13 regional SPAR wholesalers actively continue the expansion of the brand across the country.

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Sustainable energy concept

The SPAR Supermarket has a combined refrigeration system, which is used for the deep-freeze and refrigerated cabinets. In the past, the unused waste heat from the combined refrigeration system in the supermarket was released into the environment through a re-cooling system on the roof, rather than being reused.

However, a new solution has been created and implemented. The unused waste heat generated from the SPAR Supermarket is now regenerated to heat the supermarket itself and also provide energy for the neighbouring businesses and apartments in the building complex.

Additionally, the store is illuminated exclusively with LED light strips, LED spotlights and LED advertising lighting. This saves approximately 60% of electricity compared to commercially available light sources. Environmentally friendly technologies were used for the refrigeration system and only environmentally friendly refrigerants or CO² are used.

Providing for the community

The 600m² supermarket offers a varied assortment of approximately 10,000 products to cover the daily needs of customers. Fresh is a focus with the store featuring an extensive delicatessen, a bakery offering fresh bread and pastries, coffee-to-go option, a butchery stocked with fresh meat, a cheese counter, and fresh sushi. Customers have access to a large selection of fruit and vegetables. Customers on the move can purchase hot food-to-go products, as well as fresh sandwiches, wraps and salads.

Store Manager Goran Petrovic is supported by a team of 16 colleagues to ensure customers a great experience.

Source: SPAR Austria

Read more about SPAR Austria

About SPAR Austria

The origins of SPAR in Austria date back to 1954, but the current SPAR AG was created in 1970 when the original founding families joined other regional wholesalers to form SPAR Austria AG – a 100% privately owned Austrian company. With licences granted by SPAR International, ASPIAG (Austria SPAR International AG) has developed the brand in Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Northern Italy.

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