Each new country makes its own
unique contribution to the culture and development of the large
food retail chain that is SPAR.
In China and Russia significant progress has
been made. The SPAR Partners in these countries are making major
investment in retail selling space, in recruiting independent
retailers and investing in modern distribution centres.
Retail Growth in SPAR
Countries
2011 has seen important developments by SPAR in Africa.
They have put the foundations in place for a strongly growing SPAR
business in a number of African
Countries. Additionally, the first SPAR
store in the Middle East opened in 2011.
There have been significant
developments in Russia, with continued growth and consolidation by
existing partners, recruitment of four new partners and the launch
of a new format, with the opening of SPAR Hypermarkets in Tula
and Chelyabinsk.
The new Partners are successful
regional retailers who have developed a leading position in their
local market. They see the value of the support offered by an
International brand such as SPAR. With retail sales now exceeding
€935 million, SPAR is well positioned to become a major retailing
brand in the Russian market.
The focus in China will be on the continued
development of SPAR with 2 formats - the SPAR Hypermarket, which
today accounts for the majority of sales and the SPAR supermarket,
which is a newer format in China.
In 2011 SPAR was launched in the
Middle East with the opening of the first SPAR supermarket in the
United Arab
Emirates (UAE). SPAR UAE worked closely with the retail
development and design teams of SPAR International. Together they
created a supermarket proposition that delivers an
international shopping experience which is based on the SPAR brand
values of freshness, quality, convenience and friendly personal
service.
Important progress in the
development of the SPAR brand in Africa has been the opening of the
first SPAR supermarkets in Malawi, Mozambique and Nigeria. These stores are
performing strongly and are ahead of plan. SPAR enjoys excellent
growth in Zimbabwe and Zambia, and has ambitious plans
to drive the continued growth of the SPAR business.
Success Stories: Albert
Gusev building his business
Throughout the SPAR
Worldwide organisation, there are many outstanding SPAR Managers
and their teams who together have built excellent SPAR businesses
at a local, regional or national level. Albert Gusev and Yuri
Markin have together built such a business in SPAR Middle Volga,
which is the largest of the 9 SPAR Russia Partners. Like many SPAR
entrepreneurs, Albert's first involvement with retail was through
establishing a wholesale distribution business.
Recognising the
emerging opportunities in retailing, Albert secured from SPAR
International the SPAR Licence for the Middle Volga and surrounding
regions in 2003, and has developed a chain of company owned stores
and independently owned SPAR stores. The team at SPAR Middle Volga
has been hugely successful in providing their customers with
international best practice retailing.