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Tag: SPAR Italy

  • SPAR Italy named Retailer of the Year 2020-2021 in the ”supermarket” category

    SPAR Italy named Retailer of the Year 2020-2021 in the ”supermarket” category

    SPAR Italy, locally known as DESPAR, has been recognised as retail brand of the year for the year 2020-2021 in the ”supermarket” category.

    The criteria voted upon included price, assortment, service, communications, shopping convenience, and look-and-feel.

    Other factors that contributed to SPAR Italy’s success were the quality and variety of its own brand products and the brand’s initiatives to add value to its local communities.

    Retailer’s health and well-being product offering, as well as its commitment to environmental sustainability, were also deciding factors.

    In Italy, the award was launched in 2008 as ”Retailer of the Year” and is currently known as ”Insegna dell’anno”.

    For this year’s Italy edition, the organisers evaluated 543 retail brands across the various categories, which embrace both food and non-food retail.

    Over 205,000 votes were expressed earlier this year by Italian consumers.

  • SPAR Italy launches more eco-friendly products under green own brand range

    SPAR Italy launches more eco-friendly products under green own brand range

    The newly redeveloped product lines in the DESPAR Scelta Verde EcoLogico range include tissues, napkins, toilet paper and kitchen paper, as well as disposable cups and plates.

    SPAR Italy’s DESPAR Scelta Verde EcoLogico range includes products with a low environmental footprint.

    The tissue range is made from 100% recycled paper, with the packaging made of Mater-bi, a biodegradable and compostable material. All products in the range are Eco Label certified.

    DESPAR Scelta Verde EcoLogico plates and glasses, also packaged in Mater-bi, are made with materials of natural origin. The vegetable fibre plates and their packaging are biodegradable and compostable as green waste.

    PLA, an innovative bioplastic derived from the transformation of sugars and other natural materials, is used for the glasses sold in the line.

    The hot beverage cups are made of CPLA, a bioplastic that is resistant to high temperatures.

  • SPAR Italy opens new Interspar and Eurospar stores in Abruzzo

    SPAR Italy opens new Interspar and Eurospar stores in Abruzzo

    Maiora, SPAR Italy Partner for the Centre and South of Italy, has opened a new Interspar Hypermarket and two new Eurospar Supermarkets in Abruzzo.

    The modern Interspar and Eurospar stores are located respectively in Silvi Marina, Pescara and Montesilvano.

    The opening of these stores is part of Maiora’s strategy to expand the SPAR Brand’s footprint into the Abruzzo region, located above the ‘heel’ of the Italian peninsula. The Eurospar Supermarket in Pescara, operated by an independent retailer, was converted from an existing brand. All of the previous store employees have been hired to run the new store.

    Maiora opened the new Interspar Hypermarket in Silvi Marina, a coastal town near Teramo, just two weeks after opening the new Eurospar Supermarket in Pescara.

    More openings are scheduled to take place from September, adding to the 32 SPAR stores already operating in the Abruzzo region.

    The new Eurospar Supermarket in Pescara follows the opening of another new Interspar Hypermarket in Scalea just one month ago, which was successfully completed during the lockdown.

    Within its 2019-2021 business development plan, DESPAR Maiora is investing an additional €70 million in its retail store portfolio, aimed at renovating 20 more stores and developing six new stores.

    The company’s turnover of €805,5 million, with a  strong growth of €30 million in 2019, is set to reach the €1 billion milestone by the end of this year.

  • Renovated Interspar store in Scalea, Italy, opens its doors

    Renovated Interspar store in Scalea, Italy, opens its doors

    SPAR Italy partner Maiora has reopened its Interspar store in Scalea, near Cosenza, after a comprehensive renovation aimed at future-proofing this hypermarket.

    With a sales area of 1.600 sqm, the compact hypermarket boasts enhanced departments, a new layout, and numerous new services for its customers. DESPAR Centro-Sud carried out renovation works of this store during the coronavirus emergency.

    A real highlight of the revamped INTERSPAR store is the instore seating area where visitors can enjoy freshly prepared foods purchased at the fresh counters. The Fresh Fish section now features a fried seafood service to offer fragrant foods to eat either instore or take out.

    The fine wine department comprises a vast assortment of the best Italian wines, in a refined shopping environment with high-end fixtures.

    In total, this Interspar Hypermarket employs 42 SPAR colleagues, providing an important source of employment for its local communities.

  • SPAR opens two Eurospar supermarkets in northern Italy

    SPAR opens two Eurospar supermarkets in northern Italy

    SPAR Italy Partner Aspiag Service opened two new Eurospar stores this year in Limena and Bologna.

    The new Eurospar Limena, in the Province of Padua, serves a catchment area of approximately 28.000 people.

    With a sales area of more than 1.400 sqm, this supermarket has incorporated service counters for fresh fish, meats, and delicatessen, as well as a fresh bakery section.

    The store stocks more than 10.000 food SKUs, as well as 6.000 non-food SKUs. Customers can pay for their groceries at one of the five served checkouts or four self-scan checkouts.

    The building that houses the Eurospar Supermarekt in Limena is newly built. The store is run by 37 SPAR team members, 30 of whom are newly hired.

    Eurospar Bologna

    Eurospar Bologna services a catchment area of more than 15.000 people.

    Just like the store in Limena, the new store in Bologna is run by 37 SPAR team members, 30 of whom are newly hired.

    The new supermarket is geared towards facilitating a convenient shopping experience – from the presence of a large outdoor parking space to the integration of the both staffed and self-service checkouts.

  • SPAR supports local communities in Sardinia, Italy

    SPAR supports local communities in Sardinia, Italy

    SPAR Italy is assisting households in Sardinia facing the economic consequences of the coronavirus emergency on the island.

    A large part of Sardinia’s revenue derives from tourism, an industry that is still struggling with huge losses. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, many people in this industry have lost their source of income.

    How SPAR initiative works

    The initiative, called ”Together for Sardinia”, aims to support households in need, by donating products or financial support.

    Customers at retail stores will be able to purchase a basket of local foods at a discounted price.

    The basket comprises staples such as tuna, cheeses, olive oil, pasta, and preserves. In total, 5% of the sales income will be donated to support local households in need.