contact international, issue 5, 2015 - english

CONTACT International

06Strong Growth Plans

in Place for SPAR in India

14Future Leaders

of ourBusiness

24The SPAR

Vehicle BrandingGuidelines

2015 | 5

Photograph: Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte (centre), together with Dr Gordon Campbell (left) and members of a high-level Dutch Trade delegation at a SPAR Hypermarket in New Delhi

It is well-known that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and a great time for the family to eat together. A nutritious breakfast provides many health benefits, including improved concentration, increased strength and energy, and better weight control.

SPAR Cereals can give your customers that jumpstart on the day! Important market facts:• Ready-to-eat cereal is the most popular breakfast food • Cereals are versatile, convenient and affordable

Visit our website: www.spar-international.comFor further information contact:SPAR International, Amsterdam, [email protected], telephone: +31 (0)20 626 67 49

A great start

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© All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of SPAR International.

Published in English, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, French and Russian. SPAR International, Rokin 99/101, 1012 KM Amsterdam, The Netherlands. www.spar-international.comSend an email to the Communications Manager via [email protected] with questions, comments and suggestions about the magazine.

C o n te n t s

C o n t a c t C o m m e n t

S t r o n g G r ow t h P l a n s i n P l a c e f o r S PA R i n I n d i a

I n d o n e s i a n C u s to m e r s E m b r a c e t h e S PA R B r a n d

Pe o p l e D eve l o p m e n t i n S o u t h A f r i c a

T h e 12 t h A n n u a l H u m a n R e s o u r c e s C o n f e r e n c e

Fu t u r e L e a d e r s o f o u r B u s i n e s s

S PA R Pa r t n e r N ew s

T h e S PA R Ve h i c l e B r a n d i n g G u i d e l i n e s

S PA R S to r e O p e n i n g s

Contents

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14

06

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Co nt a c t I nte r n at i o n a l <5> Co nt a c t I nte r n at i o n a l <5>

CommentIn the last issue of Contact International we reported on the outstanding 60th International SPAR Congress, which was hosted by SPAR Austria in Vienna in May. This was the 30th consecutive year that I presented at the Congress. The first eight years I presented the Country Report for SPAR Ireland and for the last 22 years, as Managing Director, I have presented the SPAR International report. The last 30 years have been a hugely interesting and exciting journey.

I have been privileged to act as Managing Director of SPAR International since 1994. I wil l retire from this position at the end of this year. During these two decades I have visited SPAR retailers wherever I travel. I am inspired and humbled by their passion and commitment to the SPAR Brand. SPAR retailers share their ideas with energy and enthusiasm and there is always something new to learn.

I am proud of the work undertaken by my team at SPAR International and I wish to thank them sincerely for their unstinting support in driving the development of SPAR.

I am delighted that Tobias Wasmuht has been appointed as my successor. I have worked with Tobias for 15 years. He has shown total commitment and energy in both Retai l and Marketing and as Managing Director of SPAR China. Tobias has a real passion for SPAR and I am totally confident that he and his management team will bring continued success to SPAR in the years ahead.

SPAR is not just an international organisation, it is an international family. Families are about relationships and SPAR is about relationships. SPAR is about working together with trust and understanding. I am proud to be part of this great SPAR family and was honoured to be awarded the van Well Medal at the Congress to mark my retirement.

I step down as Managing Director but will remain involved on a part time basis as an advisor to the Board for the next two years. I thank you for your inspiration, support and encouragement over the last 22 years.

Gordon Campbell Managing Director

“SPAR is not just an international organisation, it is an international family. Families are about relationships and SPAR is about relationships. I am proud to be part of this great SPAR family.”


SPAR India was proud to welcome the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, together with a high-level Dutch Trade delegation to its recently re-launched SPAR Hypermarket in New Delhi on 5 June.

The visit was a great honour for SPAR, recognising the tremendous growth of the brand. Together with the Prime Minister, other high-level delegates included the Minister for Agriculture, Sharon Dijksma and Ambassador to India, Nepal and Bhutan, Alphonsus Stoelinga.

Speaking during his visit, Mr Rutte said: “Our trade mission to India is designed to share knowledge, forge partnerships and encourage co-operation between Dutch and Indian companies. It is greatly encouraging to see a company like SPAR, which started as a partnership of Dutch retailers and wholesalers more than 80 years ago, now active in India as well as 40 other countries around the world.”

SPAR International Managing Director, Dr Gordon Campbell said: “Our growth and success in India provides an ideal case study for the suitability of the SPAR model in emerging markets. Where other global brands have struggled to gain traction, SPAR’s brand values, offering, global expertise and partnership model have brought immediate benefits to retailers, suppliers and, ultimately, consumers.”

Mr Viney Singh, Managing Director of SPAR India said: “We are delighted with what we have achieved since converting our first 16 hypermarkets to the SPAR Brand. SPAR’s understanding of international best practice in retail operations and supply chain management, combined with our consumer understanding and local sourcing strengths, have created an immediate uplift in store sales. The SPAR Brand proposition of freshness, choice, value and service has been very well received by the Indian consumer.”

SPAR India anticipates having 25 SPAR Hypermarkets operational by the end of 2017. Reflecting this rapid pace of development, the 17th SPAR Hypermarket was opened on 25 June in Kondapur.

SPAR India is a firm believer in the philosophy of ‘local’ and supports over 4,000 local vendors who supply food and merchandise to the growing SPAR India network.

Strong Growth Plans in Placefor SPAR in India

The new SPAR Hypermarket in Kondapur is over 3,000m2 in size and key destination departments include the fresh produce section, the apparel department and the fast-moving customer goods division.

Dr Campbell showing the Prime Minister around the store

The Prime Minister & Minister for Agriculture were impressed with the high quality fresh produce


Indonesian Customers Embrace the SPAR Brand

SPAR in Indonesia is growing at a rapid rate. Since the launch of SPAR in March, eight SPAR stores have opened. Customers have expressed delight in the strong fresh offer and the high quality service - both key elements of the SPAR way of doing business.

The first three stores opened on the same day in March in Bogor Province. The stores, each approximately 1,500m2 in size, offer a full supermarket range and have been completely upgraded and modernised in line with SPAR’s unique and market leading retail concept. This includes the introduction of large fresh sections, combined with a special emphasis on the family offering.

The stores opened with much fanfare including a traditional welcome at the entrance with local dancers and lots of entertainment for children. Members of the media were invited to view the SPAR Supermarkets ahead of the openings to see the changes made during the conversion.

The next two stores to open were SPAR Cilegon and SPAR Serang, both in the Banten Province. These supermarkets include a fresh fish counter, bakery, delicatessen, butchery and a good selection of Food-to-Go. They also provide a full grocery offer and a non-food area, plus a laundry service.

Local producers have seen a positive impact with increased volume and variety of fresh produce now available in the SPAR Supermarkets, as well as a wider variety of locally sourced fresh fish and seafood. The expansion of the service departments has required more staff for each supermarket, creating many employment opportunities.

In line with the international focus by SPAR on nutrition, SPAR Indonesia launched the SPAR Nutrition Zone at the Cilegon opening, providing nutritional guidance and information in a fun and interactive way. The SPAR Nutrition Zone is available instore for consumers to access on a daily basis.

With such a promising start, SPAR Indonesia is on track to achieve its goal of 15 operational SPAR Supermarkets by the end of 2015, totalling an impressive 22,500m2 of retail selling space.

Cashiers ready to serve customers

The SPAR Nutrition Zone in action

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People Development inSouth Africa

SPAR South Africa hosted a pre-Conference visit to the SPAR Retail College in Pinetown, part of the SPAR Academy of Learning, prior to the International HR Conference in Johannesburg.

The SPAR Academy offers a variety of courses on all areas of business, including class-room and e-learning training modules. Delegates were given the chance to experience first-hand the excellent training programmes that SPAR South Africa is running. The SPAR Academy contributes towards making SPAR an ‘Employer of Choice’ by offering best practice, quality education to its people throughout Southern Africa.

The SPAR Retail College

As part of the SPAR Academy, the Retail College focuses on management programmes and on training in Fresh. The Fresh training programme is called ‘Good Food Fundi’ and covers the areas of bakery, butchery, fresh produce and home meal replacement. The pre-Conference delegates had the unique opportunity of

taking part in a training session on the fresh produce module. They were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of both trainers and trainees. They also gained an insight into other training programmes from the SPAR South Africa training team.

Training put to Practice

Along with the theoretical input, SPAR South Africa offers practical insights for the trainees. The international guests visited the local Distribution Centre (DC) where they were warmly welcomed. The DC HR Manager explained their practical training programmes, which include detailed training for the truck drivers.

The group also visited Knowles SUPERSPAR and Glenore KWIKSPAR, where store-owner, Paul Jason, stressed his pride in being part of the training by showcasing best practice in fresh and customer service.

SPAR International wishes to thank SPAR South Africa for their great hospitably and for allowing a detailed insight to their training programmes.

Participants of the Fresh Produce training presenting on a branding group assignment.

Co nt a c t I nte r n at i o n a l<10>

The 12th Annual Human Resources Conference

Jutta Klassen spoke about the SPAR International HR support programme and shared examples of SPAR Partner training in Indonesia, Oman and India.

The Changing Retail Landscape and its effect on People Development and Customer Service was one of the key topics of the 12th SPAR International Human Resources Conference. This year’s event was held from 3-5 June in Johannesburg and welcomed 30 delegates from 15 SPAR partners. The Conference was hosted by SPAR South Africa, who not only facilitated a visit to one of its new SPAR Express stores, but also an insightful trip to the Johannesburg Culinary and Pastry School, a community project with which SPAR South Africa is closely involved.

Thuli Tabudi of SPAR South Africa welcomed all delegates to the Conference and presented an update of the company's business and HR strategy.

Jutta Klassen Thuli Tabudi

The Changing Landscape of Retail

The Conference was opened by Jutta Klassen and Tom Rose from SPAR International. Thuli Tabudi, HR Director of SPAR South Africa, welcomed the delegates and updated the audience on the company’s business and people strategy.

Following on from Thuli was David Moore from SPAR International, who outlined recent and future SPAR developments worldwide. A good example of such developments was given by Ashok Gangadharan from SPAR India, who introduced his team’s HR strategy, focusing on the challenge of a new generation of customers and staff.

Francis Sibamba Jr. from SPAR Zambia underlined the importance of people in the overall business strategy, giving an overview of the SPAR Zambia HR strategy map. Mary Wall from SPAR Ireland focused her presentation on the New Shopper Engagement Programme and the Retail Leadership Programme of SPAR Ireland. The session was closed by Christa Malan from Ecolab,

who emphasised the importance of efficient food safety training. SPAR International wishes to thank Ecolab for hosting the welcome dinner.

Developing People to Serve our Customers

The second day of the Conference started with a session on customer service training. In a joint presentation by SPAR UK and the regional UK SPAR Partners, Meagan Pawley, Lee Smith, Jo Hounsell and Justine McGreevey provided an update on the UK retail market and the SPARkling Service Programme, which has been rolled out throughout the UK. The group provided insights on the INSPIRE Leadership Programme, which focuses on the leadership capabilities of retailers, and the Retail Trust Initiative, a UK-based charity supporting 4.5 million people working in retail and related industries.

Helene Renton Eidsvig from SPAR Norway picked up on the importance of virtual training by updating delegates on the Simulation Based Learning project, ‘SPAR Sim’, which now has over 10,000 store staff completions.


Ashok Gangadharan introduced SPAR India's HR strategy, focusing on the challenges faced with a new generation of customers and staff.

Keynote speaker, Professor Nick Binedell, who specialises in the area of strategic leadership, spoke about how businesses and people manage change.

Ashok Gangadharan Nick Binedell

Jutta Klassen introduced the working concept of a SPAR International Academy and shared examples of SPAR Partner trainings in Indonesia, Oman and India, with a focus on train-the-trainer. Tom Rose elaborated on this in his presentation by showing examples from the supply chain area.

The session was closed by Keith Heywood, customer service expert from SPAR Zimbabwe. Keith emphasised that people need to understand the reasons for their activities in order to be passionate about what they do. In his presentation, Keith introduced the key elements of how to become a SPAR Service Legend.

Supporting the Community through SPAR

Sam Davidson, Henderson Group, updated delegates on the ‘Tomorrow Matters’ strategy, which places SPAR as a trusted friend in the community. Alison Zweers from SPAR South Africa then introduced the Johannesburg Culinary and Pastry School, where SPAR as a partner invests in the development of young, unemployed people. In the afternoon, delegates had the opportunity to see the impact of this training programme during site visits to the Park Station KwikSPAR store and to the culinary school. Graham O’Connor, MD of SPAR South Africa, later addressed the delegates at the evening dinner.

Motivated Leaders for Motivated People

Roman Mäder from SPAR Switzerland updated delegates on the ‘Spirit of SPAR’ leadership programme. Tiisetso Malise, SPAR South Africa, also focused on leadership by emphasising the importance of external coaching at this level of development. Valentina Mazzucato from Aspiag Italy introduced their new store managers training, which focuses on leadership rather than on operations.

The focus then switched to the increasing use of online services. Helena Subelj from SPAR Slovenia presented on the advantages of their new E-learning training modules and Emma Gibson, Henderson Group, introduced their new online recruitment programme, which allows for semi-automated identification of suitable candidates.

Strategic Leadership

Motivated and efficient staff requires committed management and a leadership style that inspires people. In the last conference session, keynote speaker Prof. Nick Binedell, Founder of the Gordon Institute of Business Science, challenged the way people and business react to change. He noted that to succeed in a fast changing environment, management needs to facilitate knowledge sharing and people development and should encourage staff to move out of their comfort zone.

SPAR International would like to thank all delegates, in particular SPAR South Africa, for its support and valuable input, and for helping to make the Conference a great success.

Delegates visited the Park Station KwikSPAR store


Growing our People

Keith Heywood, SPAR Zimbabwe (L) spoke about how to become a SPAR Service Legend during his presentation at the HR Conference.

SPAR South Africa facilitated an insightful visit to the Johannesburg Culinary and Pastry School (R), one of its successful community projects.

Special thanks was given to Graham O'Connor, MD of SPAR SA (above), for hosting the 2015 HR Conference.


Through Knowledge Sharing

“The Future Leaders Programme was a very informative and enjoyable experience.”

“Thank you for the educational and enjoyable week. I learnt a lot and had a great time.”

“The only thing I'm sorry about is that I cannot participate in this programme again.”


Future Leaders of our BusinessWith a strong focus on strategy, this year’s Future Leaders Programme brought together young and aspiring future leaders from 14 SPAR countries. The week-long event provided an opportunity for participants to study the global SPAR business and discuss ways of moving forward to ensure continuous development.

The 2015 Future Leaders Programme was hosted by SPAR Slovenia from 28 June - 4 July in the city of Kranj. This annual event addresses key aspects of the SPAR business and provides training sessions on general management. A full programme of presentations, workshops and team-building activities ensures that delegates return home with a number of new and exciting ideas for the SPAR business.

Growing our Future

Jure Petkovšek, CFO of SPAR Slovenia, welcomed participants and presented interesting facts on the development of SPAR. He also introduced the ‘Balanced Score Card’ as the tool of choice for communicating key business objectives.

Dr Gordon Campbell, Managing Director of SPAR International, presented SPAR's strategy, outlining the three pillars: Growing our Partners, Growing our Presence and Growing our Brand. He placed a particular focus on the current expansion activities.

To round up the first day, delegates were asked to share success stories from their countries and their own areas of work. This helped to provide a better understanding of the SPAR worldwide organisation.

The SPAR Retail Strategy

The second day of the programme was dedicated to the four SPAR Brand propositions: Freshness, Choice, Value and Service. Dr Campbell highlighted the key factors involved in implementing the SPAR values and continued with a workshop on ‘Known Value Items’. A second exercise on instore promotions closed the session.

The focus of the day then switched to leadership and management. This was followed by a team-building session in the evening. SPAR International highly appreciates the support of Red Bull who sponsored the entire evening.


Jure Petkovšek from SPAR Slovenia welcomed all participants

Retail Support Processes

Tom Rose, Head of Operations at SPAR International, presented on the end-to-end supply chain process, from manufacturer to store. Modern retail technology plays an increasingly important part in this process. In a workshop on the supply chain, participants identified the key success factors of the ‘Store of the Future 2025’.

The afternoon was dedicated to visiting the Distribution Centre (DC) of SPAR Slovenia. The Logistics Director, Adrian Verbic, outlined the key facts of the DC and the associated SPAR bakery, after which participants then had the opportunity to see both distribution and production in action.

The Future of Merchandising

The focus of the fourth day was on merchandising, led by Gary Harris, Head of Design at SPAR International. New retail developments and flagship store openings were the main topics of the first presentation. The second presentation focused on the Power of Merchandising. Best practice examples and key merchandising techniques were shown.

In the afternoon, participants visited an INTERSPAR Hypermarket and EUROSPAR Supermarket in greater Ljubljana. The group then moved to a SPAR city store where learnings from the morning were put into practice with a merchandising workshop.

Excellence in Customer Service

The final day of the programme focused on Customer Service. Jutta Klassen, Senior HR Manager at SPAR International, presented service models and best practice examples to enhance customer service. She elaborated on the three areas of tangible service, additional service and personal service, and emphasised that staff attitude

is key to ensuring a good shopping experience for the customer. The session was concluded by a workshop on the topic.

Leadership Development

Management Consultant, Tony Norman, led the sessions on Leadership, which were spread over the course of the week and covered various areas such as Team Dynamics, Managing Personal Change, Time Management, Leadership in Practice, Managing Conflict, Effective Communication and Managing Upwards.

The 2015 Future Leaders Programme was concluded with a team assignment and a dinner party. The overall feedback received was very positive and participants were enthusiastic about taking home new ideas as well as having met new friends. SPAR International would like to thank SPAR Slovenia for its fantastic support in hosting this year’s event.

The Future Leaders Programme is designed to develop and generate prospective leaders of SPAR Partner organisations. We look forward to meeting our next group of future leaders in summer 2016.

Delegates on a visit to SPAR Slovenia's DC and bakery

The World of cereals

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The World of cereals

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Anzeige Spar 207x303mm_20156.indd 1 23.07.15 16:35

SPAR Partner NewsAustria

SPAR Austria has made a commitment to existing partnerships with more than 500 regional bakeries supply-ing SPAR stores with bread and pastries. In Vorarlberg, in the west of Austria, there are more than 30 independent bakeries providing bread and pastry items to 100 SPAR, EUROSPAR and INTERSPAR stores on a daily basis. By partnering with these local bakeries, SPAR has shown a strong commitment to the local Austrian bakery trade.

Over 90% of the bread and pastry items offered to customers in the 1,500 SPAR, EUROSPAR and INTERSPAR stores in Austria, originate from local Austrian bakeries. “Austria has a strong and proud culinary culture and is well-known for its many different breads and pastries, with each province boasting different specialties. This trade has grown over the centuries and is an important cultural asset that should not be lost. We intend to devote all our efforts to supporting this industry,” said Managing Director of SPAR Vorarlberg, Gerhard Ritter.

A new look EUROSPAR in Bruff, Limerick recently opened its doors. This is the second EUROSPAR Supermarket in Ireland to update its store to the new EUROSPAR design. In line with the latest international retail design, layout and product standards, the new look EUROSPAR includes a much greater focus on fresh food departments.

On opening day, a large crowd of locals joined the Nagle family, owners of the Bruff EUROSPAR, to celebrate the revamped store. The Nagle family will mark seventy five years in business this year, having joined as SPAR retailers in 1963 with the opening of one of the first SPAR stores in Ireland.

The new EUROSPAR brand proposition is the result of a collaborative project between SPAR Ireland and SPAR International. The new design has reinforced EUROSPAR’s focus on its new customer strategy, which is centred around freshness, choice, value, rewards, service and experience.

Support for the localbakery trade

Ireland

New look EUROSPAR opens in Bruff, Limerick


SPAR Partner NewsRussia

SPAR Vostok hosts cooking masterclass

Once a month on a Sunday, SPAR Vostok hosts a cooking masterclass for children from the local community. This event was introduced several years ago and has become extremely popular amongst locals.

Parents can call in advance to register their children for an upcoming cooking class. The lessons usually take place in the middle of the day and last for about 90 minutes, allowing parents to do their shopping in a relaxed manner.

Local chefs work with the children to create meals using a variety of nutritious and tasty ingredients. The classes are made up of 10-20 children and take place in the café area of the SPAR store. SPAR staff are always on hand to assist. They also take photos, which are shared on the SPAR Vostok website each time it is held.

This is a fun and popular community-building initiative that has proven to be a great success.

The SPAR Junior Chef competition is a popular annual event designed for school children between the ages of 11 and 13 who love to cook.

This was the fourth year in a row that SPAR South Africa has organised the competition, which sees budding chefs prepare their favourite meals with lots of creative flare. In the final round of the competition, the young chefs are required to prepare a mystery dish to decide the winners.

The focus of the competition is to provide young and talented cooks with new skills whilst having fun. Cook-offs were held in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga with first, second and third place prizes awarded in each province.

More information about the annual event, as well as a selection of photographs, can be found on the SPAR South Africa website: www.spar.co.za

South Africa

The 2015 Junior Chef competition


SPAR Partner NewsUK

A newly opened SPAR convenience store in Glemsford, Suffolk has lent a helping hand to Glemsford Primary Academy by funding the refurbishment of the school’s adventure playground.

Blakemore Retail SPAR in Glemsford donated a total of £2,394 (€3,355) to the school to enable it to carry out essential repair work on its adventure playground.

“This is a very generous donation from our friends at Blakemore Retail SPAR in the village,” said Glemsford Primary Academy Head of School, Andrew Hammond. “Their generosity has meant that we can ensure the children can continue to play in a safe and exciting environment.”

New store lends helping hand to local school

Celebrating outstanding retail achievements

SPAR UK now offers its customers the ability to pay with Apple Pay, which is transforming mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay.

SPAR has been working for many years on its payment solution to ensure it is ready for the contactless revolution. The number of SPAR stores accepting contactless payment has soared and its integration will offer customers additional benefits, including increased transaction speed and a greater customer experience. It will also appeal to the new generation of technology-savvy shoppers.

Apple Pay is easy to set up and users will continue to receive all of the rewards and benefits offered by their credit and debit cards. In stores, Apple Pay works with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch.

Mobile payments made easy with Apple Pay

Launched in 2003, the Grocer Gold Awards celebrates outstanding achievements in the retail industry over the past year. The accolades are focused on key business areas such as innovation and customer satisfaction.

Open to symbol group operators, franchises and fascia groups, the judges looked for evidence of strong business performance, innovation and retailer support and engagement in the Symbol Retailer of the Year category.

SPAR UK came out on top at this year’s Grocer Gold Awards, taking the prize for Symbol Retailer of the Year at the prestigious event.


SPAR Partner NewsHungary

Hungarian watermelons sold in Slovenia and Croatia

This summer, SPAR customers in Slovenia and Croatia were able to experience the unique taste of Hungarian watermelons, benefiting from the SPAR partnership between these three countries through their parent company, Aspiag.

SPAR has for a long time been a committed supporter of watermelon production in Hungary. The support of SPAR to local growers results in no imported watermelons into Hungary during the summer period.

The promotion of the fruit has enabled the sector to provide a living to thousands of families and create more jobs, as export opportunities increase.

SPAR wins Superbrands title for eighth time

SPAR France has pulled out all the stops to make its 60th anniversary celebration a memorable one.

To mark this milestone, SPAR has been pampering customers both at store level and online. A promotion campaign was rolled out with customers standing the chance of winning a Citroën DS3. In addition to this, there were different discount offers, such as: Buy one item, get the second for free or half-price.

On SPAR France’s Facebook page, customers could vote for their favourite SPAR store. The campaign, “I love my SPAR”, was coupled with a draw allowing customers to win 60 Euros in coupons to spend at SPAR stores in France.

Celebrating 60 years of SPAR in France

France

SPAR Hungary has once again been awarded the Superbrands title at the Superbrands Awards, a major international brand evaluation programme. In addition to a panel of experts, consumers were also given the opportunity to participate in the selection process. This recognition from both professionals and consumers is very positive for the brand.

The Superbrands Awards programme was introduced in 2004, with the primary aim of finding and promoting brands that are considered exemplary in their fields. The programme was first launched by the independent Brand Council of Great Britain and is currently run in 90 countries with candidates selected based on the same requirements. This year, in addition to the evaluation by the expert panel, the feedback received from consumers also influenced the decision.

This award is an important part of SPAR’s brand building and the company is proud to be able to continue using the Superbrands logo for another year.


UNSO

LDFO

OD€1,854,818DeSPAR NORTH-EAST DONATED

292 TONS OF FOOD

FROM JAN-JUNE 2015 DeSPAR RECOVERED

TO 200 CHARITIES

292 1,217672,000

ENOUGH WATER TO FILL

WOULD ACCOUNT FOR

THE AMOUNT OF WATERNEEDED TO PRODUCE292 TONS OF FOOD OLYMPIC

SIZED SWIMMING POOLS203 203

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SPAR Partner News

Making a commitment to the reduction of food waste

DeSPAR North-East has a longstanding commitment to reducing food waste in its stores. In the first half of 2015, the SPAR Italy Partner donated €1,854,818 worth of unsold food to more than 200 local charities.

The company also actively promotes sustainable and responsible practices and resource management by holding events, meetings and other initiatives aimed at raising awareness about food waste.

DeSPAR North-East intends to extend the collection and redistribution of unsold goods to 100 per cent of its stores, helping to support more of those in need.

Netherlands

Neighbourhood recycling made easy

SPAR Netherlands has increased the range of services available for recycling by providing bins in its stores for small electronic items.

Research conducted amongst consumers throughout The Netherlands, indicated the need for easy recycling of electronic items. Almost 70 per cent of consumers have expressed interest in this new service, which until the introduction of the bins by SPAR, was not made easy.

Sjaak Kranendonk, Managing Director of SPAR Netherlands said: “It is vital that consumers know that they can easily recycle batteries, light bulbs and electronic equipment within their neighbourhood. If there are no facilities readily available, consumers will dump items in the regular garbage collection bins. We have partnered with the recycling company, Wecycle, to encourage consumers to make use of the highly visible recycling bins in our SPAR neighbourhood stores.”

It is estimated that 35 million kg of electronic waste is disposed of via regular garbage collection systems each year in The Netherlands. By reducing this kind of waste, valuable minerals are saved and unnecessary environmental damage is prevented.

Italy

Your ProductsYour CustomerYour StaffYour StoreYour Pro� t

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Your ProductsYour CustomerYour StaffYour StoreYour Pro� t

+Your Custom Counter

Your Custom Counter

The Fri-Jado Custom Counter is a modular system of heated and chilled merchandisers to build your deli- or

food service operation. It enables you to operate a fresh food department, blending into the look and feel of your

store. The Custom Counter range was designed around the principles of food promotion and todays requirements of

your operator. An instant success for your serve over or assisted serve department. The possibilities are endless!

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- Simple and easy cleaning


SPAR Partner NewsSpain

SPAR Gran Canaria recently held its SPAR Summer Run, an event that raises awareness and money for the Canarias Association against Breast Cancer and the Gran Canaria Down Syndrome Campaign. This was the second year that the race has been organised and the increase in the number of runners this year, reflects not only the enthusiasm for running but also the large amount of support for the chosen charities.

A total of 900 participants set-off from El Confital Bay, all wearing the event’s pink t-shirt. An impressive 300 of these shirts were sold to non-runners for €5.00 each, helping to raise additional funds for the Cancer Foundation.

SPAR Gran Canaria will continue to support the Down Syndrome Campaign this year through the use of collection boxes in 21 of its stores. Posters instore highlight this worthwhile charity, which promotes social participation of patients, providing valuable support and assistance.

Community support in Gran Canaria

SPAR Australia recently held its annual Supplier of the Year Awards ceremony in recognition of the support provided by key suppliers across various categories.

Managing Director, Mr Lou Jardin, spoke about how he and his team are working to develop the business for the mutual success of suppliers, retailers and SPAR Australia. He mentioned that the theme for 2015 is “Simply Retail” and is all about reducing clutter and focusing on the key aspects of retail.

In a night designed to acknowledge those who partnered with SPAR Australia to drive growth, SPAR congratulated a number of key suppliers. Unilever Australia Limited was named SPAR Australia’s Supplier of the Year, having achieved high growth rates in its key categories. Great responsiveness with diligent communication and follow up at all levels have meant that this supplier was well deserving of the award.

Australia

Unilever named SPAR Supplier of the Year

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Vehicle Branding Guidelines

At SPAR International, it is our goal to further the development of SPAR as a worldwide brand. To achieve this, consistency in corporate identity is essential. In this article, we take a look at our SPAR vehicle fleet, detailing the importance of correctly branded vehicles and providing examples of creative concept solutions for vehicle liveries.

campaigns or to support initiatives such as local sourcing, commitment to the environment, community actions and sports sponsorship.

Branding of our vehicles is a sizeable investment and as such, we need to ensure that we are making effective use of them as communication tools.

Preferred Vehicle SolutionsSolutions have been developed for a wide variety of vehicles including Transit Vans, Luton Vans, Articulated Trucks and Trucks with Trailers. These solutions respect the Corporate

The Importance of SPAR Vehicle BrandingBranding of the SPAR vehicle fleet is extremely important and goes far beyond simple ownership. The SPAR vehicles are a key part of SPAR’s Corporate Identity, creating visibility and customer recognition of the brand away from the store. The vehicles also provide the opportunity to showcase our brand in a professional way, not only to customers, but also retailers and competitors.

Vehicle liveries can be used creatively to communicate our core values of Freshness, Choice, Value and Service. Additionally, they can be used to complement marketing

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Identity guidelines, ensuring correct implementation and helping to project a consistent image of the SPAR Brand. When creating these solutions, several factors were considered:

• Logotype: In the majority of applications, and where practical, the horizontal version of the SPAR logo is used. The exception to this is the rear door of some of the large vehicles where the vertical logotype is better suited to the portrait shape of the vehicle.

• Extended logotype: On large vans and trucks, an extended version of the horizontal logotype is used. In these instances, the red band is extended to the left until it meets the end of the vehicle. This ensures that the logo runs the full length of the vehicle.

Where possible, position logotype on datum line at window height


• Visibility: In all solutions the SPAR Brand is clearly visible

• Positioning: Where possible, the SPAR logo is positioned on a datum line at window height of the vehicle to give consistency to the solutions. The exception to this is the large articulated truck where the logo is positioned centrally on the container.

• Colours: In all instances the brand is applied to a white truck to avoid any colour conflict with the SPAR corporate red and green

Creative ConceptsCreative concept solutions have been developed to show how the SPAR vehicle fleet can be utilised to communicate much more than just our brand. Solutions are available that show how we can connect with customers in a personal and

emotive way by communicating our core values, promoting our SPAR Private Label range, supporting green initiatives, confirming our involvement with local communities and capitalising on our sports sponsorship programmes. The following examples are covered in the Vehicle Branding Guidelines document:

• Lifestyle: This concept solution shows people eating and enjoying food in a fun and lively way. This interaction of people with food adds emotion to our brand image and when done with humour, presents SPAR in a more relaxed and informal way. The concept is further supported by the use of short pieces of text, such as: ‘Tasty and Fresh’ or ‘On the move’. These straplines support the overall message and help to reinforce the core brand proposition of Freshness, Choice, Value and Service.

A SPAR truck with the Private Label concept branding solution

An articulated truck with the lifestyle concept branding solution


PANTONE185

PANTONE356

Please note that the blue keyline does not print –it is a holding line only and marks the area outside

the symbol and namestyle that remains in whiteand which is an integral part of the identity

Please note that the tree symbolis correct when it breaks slightly

above and slightly below thelimits of the red band

VersIon A - Preferred VersIon of the logotyPe

Red (PMS 185) White Green (PMS 356)

• Service: This solution focuses on excellent customer service, with a secondary emphasis on our fresh food departments and quality products. The images used for this concept solution show employees from the fresh service departments of SPAR stores. They are shown at their departments, presenting SPAR products with a smile – personal service at its best.

• SPAR Private Label: This concept promotes choice – one of the four SPAR Brand values. Consumers are shown eating and enjoying SPAR Private Label products in a way that also emphasises freshness and quality. The concept is endorsed through the use of the strapline: ‘A Worldwide Brand’, to emphasise the global nature of our business and the benefits this brings to our Private Label assortment.

• Green: This concept solution seeks to establish and endorse our green credentials. With a fir tree as our symbol, we are well placed to provide a convincing story. In the images used for this solution, the use of green colours and tones helps to soften the SPAR logo and contrast the hard form of the vehicles.

• Community: Since its establishment in 1932, SPAR has focused on local convenience retailing, where proximity, personal service and a local, tailored product assortment were the constant factors of success. Today, these same values still hold true and our local SPAR neighbourhood stores are central points within our communities. This concept focuses on reinforcing our position at the heart of our communities and building on our strengths, namely

that our stores are owned and operated by independent retailers who are from the communities they serve and who know many of their customers by name. Those same retailers provide support to local initiatives; they employ staff from within their communities and they source products from local farmers and suppliers. For this solution, large photographs of community-building activities are used to illustrate our commitment to the communities we serve.

• Sports Sponsorship: SPAR has a long history of sports sponsorship, both at international level through our support of European Athletics, as well as through SPAR country sponsorship of national and local sporting events. This concept focuses on our commitment to sports sponsorship and uses images of sporting events in conjunction with graphic silhouettes of athletes in striking colours. There is a strong focus on health, nutrition and sport, which provides very positive associations with the SPAR Brand.

SPAR Vehicle Branding Guidelines ManualSPAR International has developed a detailed Vehicle Branding Guidelines Manual, which all SPAR Partners can download from SPAR Connect: www.sparconnect.com

For more information about the preferred vehicle solutions for your country, please contact your local SPAR headquarters: www.spar-international.com/sparworldwide/spar-countries.html


Expansion of the SPAR Brand continues

SPAR has opened a new store in Budapest - located on Váci út - one of the city’s main pedestrian streets. The store has a sales area of more than 500m2, and has led to the creation of 22 new jobs.

With the opening of this new store, SPAR Hungary now serves customers over a total area of 393, 000m2. To meet consumer demands, the store offers a wide range of SPAR Private Label products at favourable prices, along with the usual excellent brand name products. The deli counter offers quality REGNUM meat products, a large variety of baked goods prepared on site, and many other freshly-prepared delicatessen items.

SPAR now present in Udmurtia

Udmurtia, a province of 1.6 million inhabitants 1,300km east of Moscow, is the newest region in Russia to introduce the SPAR Brand. The first store to open is a 2,400m2 EUROSPAR Supermarket, located in the north of the capital city, Izhevsk.

The EUROSPAR Supermarket is situated in a complex which includes a food court, gymnasium and health spa. The Food-to-Go and deli departments have been welcomed by consumers, who are also appreciative of the expanded bakery department. The inclusion of a Café has created a location for locals to meet and relax, enhancing the shopping experience.

SPAR Store Openings

Russia

Hungary

SPAR Partners continue to open new stores, bringing the brand to ever growing numbers of shoppers around the globe. In this issue of Contact International, we feature SPAR store openings in Russia, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the UAE, Oman and China. News about more store openings can be found on the SPAR International website.

Food-to-Go at SPAR Udmurtia

The fruit & veg selection instore


Rapid expansion across the country

SPAR Netherlands is moving steadily ahead with the opening of new neighbourhood and city stores across the country. In the last few months, four new SPAR stores have opened.

Two of the four new stores are located in Rotterdam. The first opened its doors on 2 July and is situated on the Steve Biko square, close to the Capelse Brug metro station. The second store, owned by Martijn de Rooij and Laura de Jong, opened on 9 July in the Kralingen neighbourhood, with a metro station across the street and a tram and bus stop around the corner.

The third new store to open is owned by Aar t and Sacon Robbemont. The couple opened their new SPAR neighbourhood store on Friday 10 July in Abbenbroek, a small town in the province of South Holland. Local residents can now buy fresh bread from the instore bakery and can purchase ready-made meals from the Eet smakelijk! meal service.

And finally, following on from the success of the university campus stores in Utrecht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the fourth SPAR University store opened at the Technical University in Eindhoven on 17 August.

With its various store formats, SPAR Netherlands is working hard to achieve its objective of meeting the everyday convenience needs of consumers.

Three new stores open in one month

It was a busy start to the summer in Switzerland with three new SPAR stores opening in one month in the towns of Nottwil, Zollikofen and Niederbüren.

The new store in Nottwil is 580m² in size and offers an extensive range of food items. A new feature of the store is the meat department, offering a varied selection of specialty meat cuts. The store in Zollikofen is 100m² and has a take away meal offer with freshly prepared sandwiches, salads and fruit cups, while the store in Niederbüren represents a central shopping destination for food and everyday consumer items for the community of 1,500 residents. The owners of this store have placed particular importance on sourcing fresh produce from the region.

Netherlands

Switzerland

Mr & Mrs Robbemont of SPAR Abbenbroek

The SPAR Express in Zollikofen

The new University store in Eindhoven


Two new SPAR stores open in the UAE

Two new SPAR stores have opened in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), demonstrating great development in a region identified by SPAR International as having strong growth potential.

The first store is 6,500m2 in size and is located in the Makani Mall in Al Shamkha, Abu Dhabi. This is a large hypermarket store, offering a comprehensive choice of products from a bakery, butchery, fish counter and Food-to-Go section. SPAR Shamkha also offers a large range of non-food products, including electronics and clothing.

The second new SPAR store in the UAE opened on 1 July in Ajman, a residential area in the city of Al Jurf. This store has a retail selling space of 2,000m2 and includes a fresh fruit and vegetable department and a butchery, bakery and fish counter.

As with SPAR Shamkha, SPAR International provided support with store design and layout, merchandising and lighting, and with the communication plan for the launch campaign.

SPAR International views the Middle East as a region with considerable development potential for the brand. It is SPAR International’s aim to strengthen SPAR’s presence in the region, with a view to having over 20 stores open in the Middle East by 2017, making it one of the region’s top five retail chains.

Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos welcomes new SPAR store

The third SPAR supermarket in Oman has officially opened its doors to the public. Following on rapidly from the launch of SPAR in Oman earlier this year, this new store is a real credit to the brand.

It has a retail selling space of 1,200m2 and has been designed with a customer friendly layout. The store’s main focus is on fresh, with more than 400m2 dedicated to fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a deli, bakery and Food-to-Go department. To maximise on convenience for its customers, the new SPAR store even offers a free home delivery service.

The highly successful launch of the brand began in Oman in February. All three stores now operating specialise in providing high quality fresh food combined with product range, service and value.

UAE

Oman

The checkout at SPAR Shamkha

The fresh fruit & veg section at SPAR Ajman

The focus is on fresh at the new SPAR store


ChinaA summer of growth in China

Over the past few months, several new SPAR stores have opened in China, proving just how rapidly the brand is expanding in this highly competitive market.

In Guangdong, three openings have taken place. One is a large SPAR Supermarket with a retail selling space of 2,000m2 and the other two are both small SPAR stores of 170m2.

The large supermarket is located in the Dongdu Mall in Liaobu and has been developed in line with modern, international retail practices, ensuring a pleasant, comfor table and inviting atmosphere. Customers are met with excellent service and a fantastic choice of products. The two smaller stores, one in a busy residential community of Guangdong and the other in a commercial district, both focus on the convenience needs of consumers with Food-to-Go and home-meal replacement solutions on offer.

A number of new store openings in Henan have seen the SPAR Brand being brought to shoppers across the region. Henan is an extensive province and shoppers needs vary greatly depending on location. To meet the diverse needs of the locals, SPAR Henan has successfully introduced several different store concepts. The store developments created in partnership with SPAR China and supported by SPAR International reflect the excellent knowledge sharing taking place between SPAR Par tners in China and Europe.

SPAR Henan ensures that all of the stores it opens deliver not only strong fresh departments but also a great environment where the focus is on family shopping. Reflecting the diverse shopper profile, SPAR Henan offers city residents WeChat and e-commerce solutions as well as a high quality shopping experience. For rural communities, innovation comes through access to modern retailing and service departments.

In Shandong, a new SPAR Express store has been launched. The new store, located on a busy street just opposite the Weihai municipal hospital, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It offers locals a range of over 2,500 products, including Food-to-Go, health product ranges, nutrition supplements, flowers, and fresh fruit and vegetables.

The opening of this new SPAR Express store is confirmation of SPAR Shandong’s plans to expand this format in the region. With it, a solid foundation has been laid for the growth of these modern convenience stores.

SPAR Guangdong Liaobu Dongdu

SPAR Yuanfang in Henan

SPAR Shandong Express store

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contact international, issue 5, 2015 - english

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