SPAR International news

SPAR International has announced that it has signed a licence agreement for Oman with locally-based Khimji Ramdas, who will look to open stores under the banner in the short term. Oman added to a growing list for SPAR SPAR International is expanding the SPAR brand in the Middle East as part of a co-operative venture with Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society (ADCOOPS), with entry into Oman following...

Despite slow economic growth and poor monetary conditions in South Africa, the country’s retailers continue to look for expansion opportunities in their home market and across the region. Here we round up the recent news. Pick n Pay As part of the retailer’s aim to win market share, and its turnaround strategy, Pick n Pay has announced it is planning to add 64 stores by the end of February 20...

South Africa-based SPAR Group has announced full year results, for the year ended 30 September. It said that turnover had risen by 9.8% to ZAR47.4 billion (US$4.6 billion). Headwinds affecting growth SPAR noted that shopper spending was being ‘ constrained by unemployment, restricted access to credit and rising costs ’, which had led to it and other retailers engaging in ‘ strong promotional...

As Ireland becomes the first Eurozone country to exit its bailout programme, we report back with five trends from Dublin on how Irish retailing has adapted to austerity and become a world leader in foodservice / convenience fusion concepts. 1. Value remains paramount While the economy is improving, consumer confidence currently remains at a low ebb. With one in three homeowners in negative equ...

SPAR International has announced that it has granted two new licences in Russia that will see the brand expand in the Altay Republic and the Kaliningrad region. New licences add to expansion opportunities in Russia The two new licences, for the Anix chain of stores (Altay Republic) and the Semya Group (Kaliningrad region), means that SPAR International has added five licences for Russia in th...

SPAR International’s managing director, Gordon Campbell, has said that the retailer ‘will become one of the most significant players in the retail market in Poland’. SPAR growing brand strongly in Poland SPAR has been growing quickly in Poland and said that it operates nearly 140 stores in the country as of September 2013. This comes after the addition of 56 stores in 2012, with plans to add ...

SPAR South Africa is planning to open a store in Angola in the next six months, with a local partner, according to press reports quoting the group's financial director. Store will open in Angolan capital, Luanda Speaking to Bloomberg, the retailer's finance director Mark Godfrey said SPAR  was working with an unnamed Angolan partner to open a store in the country's capital. He was quoted:...

SPAR has entered the forecourt sector by opening a SPAR Express at a Shell petrol station in Germiston, near Johannesburg. First forecourt store opens near Johannesburg The new store offers customers the convenience of 24-hour shopping at a petrol station. ‘We see the forecourt convenience space as a great opportunity to highlight the fresh and convenient offer of our brand’, Bill Brown, ...

India's government announced three amendments to FDI multi-brand retail policy, serving to relax the conditions of investment in the market. Three key changes to policy Fifty percent of first $100m invested to be on back-end infrastructure. This amendment puts a $50m cap on the original policy which stated fifty percent of investment in the first three years must be spent on back end i...

SPAR International has reported worldwide retail sales up 2.8% in 2012, and revealed its new strategy: "Growing our future together." International expansion has always been a strategic goal SPAR's new strategy builds on its long-term objectives. It sets out the strategic objectives for 2013-2015 under three broad headings: Growing our partners - Developing a multi-format presenc...