A brand that believes in partnerships

The brand celebrated 85 years of being in business, of harnessing its strength from diverse partnerships and global network. SPAR International was founded in the Netherlands in the year 1932.

The word SPAR originates from a Dutch acronym ‘Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig’ – when translated into English, it means through united cooperation everyone regularly profits. In simple words, it means growth by building strong partnerships.

“That’s the core idea and DNA of SPAR,” agrees Tobias Wasmuht, managing director, SPAR International. “Our foundation 85 years ago was based on a simple premise of uniting independent wholesalers and retailers to share resources and scale by working together under one brand. That idea is still as fresh today as it was over eight decades ago. Today we are present in 44 countries with 77 partners. A lot of focus, over the last three years, has been to use alliances and reap the synergies of our scale for the benefit of all.”

“Our purpose has been growing our brand, our presence and our partners by enhancing the competitiveness, productivity and profitability of our retail and wholesale partners worldwide. As the retail landscape becomes ever more competitive, the SPAR brand continues to be a partner of choice for leading independent retailers across an increasing number of global geographies,” he adds.

RetailME writes about the core principles and geographical expansion of SPAR International that today boasts an over 12,500-store network and a global turnover of €33 billion.

Read the full article in the July-August edition of RetailME