Spar

The early days

Back in 1932, in the town of Zegwaart, in the South of the Netherlands, Mr. Adriaan van Well, had learnt the greengrocer’s business from his father and grandfather. It was during a period of an economic downturn that he came up with a novel way of growing the business.

He originally named it DESPAR, which was an acronym for the Dutch phrase “Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig.” This mouthful translates to “All Benefit from Joint Co-operation Regularly.” Thank goodness Mr. van Well preferred acronyms!

Here’s something you didn’t know. De spar translates to “the spruce tree,” which is an evergreen, hence the green tree in the logo. Over time the De was dropped and, by sheer luck, spar means “to save” in a number of languages.

Worldwide growth

The success of the group is evident by the fact that in 48 countries you will be able to find over 13,500 SPAR stores. The secret to their continued growth has been the concept of voluntary retailing where wholesalers and shop owners agree to get together to achieve improved sales and profits rather than working alone.

In many of the 48 countries, Spar has different styles of shops to suit the local market. This is usually due to the range of available stock, shop size, and location. In Europe, for example, you will find names such as EuroSPAR, which fills the role of what we know as the corner cafe, and InterSpar, which competes against the larger supermarket chains.

The South African start

During the economic boom of the 60s, South Africans were enjoying the introduction of the concept of grocery chain stores. Not to miss out, in 1963, a group of 8 wholesalers got together and applied for the exclusive rights to the use of the SPAR brand in SA. They began by servicing 500 small retail outlets across the country.

Business has been good. In the last 59 years, there has been remarkable growth. To date, the SPAR Group (Pty) Ltd manages over 6 distribution points across the country. This will no doubt see further growth as the footprint of over 2000 stores in Southern Africa continues to expand.

Here in South Africa, we have a slightly different branding and shop size. Originally starting out with SPAR, the variety of outlets has increased with such names as KwikSPAR, SuperSPAR, and SPAR Tops, amongst others.

Continued commitment

The SPAR Group continues to improve the quality and selection of its product range. Independent laboratory testing of products on an ongoing basis is one of the methods they use to keep ahead of the brand standards. Confidence in the products they retail has enabled them to offer their customers a guarantee that they will get double their money back if there is a quality issue.

While they have always been known for their range of the freshest produce, they are also able to offer over more than 1000 of their own branded products in stores nationwide. Their commitment to being a part of the future of South Africa is shown in part by the fact that they are qualified as a B-BBEE Level 5 contributor.