SPAR (UK) news

Following speculation in the national press about the potential sale of its Wholesale division, as another step in the consolidation of the UK wholesale sector, A.F. Blakemore has issued a statement: "A.F. Blakemore & Sons Ltd is not for sale and our focus remains upon the company's core purpose of building a profitable and sustainable family business for the benefit of our staff, customers, ...

We had a great day at the Convenience Retailing Summit earlier this month where we heard insightful case studies from leading retailers and suppliers in the channel. To provide you with a roundup of the day and in case you missed it, here I outline the key themes: Looking ahead Our Chief Economist, James Walton, and Head of Retail Insight, Guy Ousey, opened the day with an overview of the...

SPAR UK's retail sales figures for 2016 were £2.84bn, an increase of 8.5%. Total stores operating under the fascia also rose with 186 new stores joining the group, taking the total number of stores to 2,620. Strong positioning amongst peers SPAR is now also the largest forecourt retailer in the UK, with significant growth coming from multi-site retail partners in 2016. These results also ...

A new SPAR loyalty app is set to go live next month. SPAR Go, which gives customers access to promotions and instant rewards on their purchases, will pilot in SPAR St Helens West Park Mews from early March.  Scope for home delivery According to The Grocer magazine the app, developed by business technology group BizzleIt, has been created solely for SPAR UK and allows its stores to target ...

At our first ever food-to-go conference in London last week, we heard from 12 speakers from across the channel to get their perspectives on this exciting area and what it takes to win.  Here's our five key take-outs: 1. Ignore the food-to-go opportunity at your peril Shoppers are already heavily integrating food-to-go missions into how they buy food and drink.  Our research predicts growth...

SPAR UK has announced that Ian Taylor, formerly head of retail for SPAR UK, has been promoted to the role of retail director. Prior to joining SPAR in 2012, Taylor was head of commercial operations at the Co-op, where he also spent two years as marketing development manager. 'MORE Together' Strategy Taylor will remain in charge of growing the national SPAR accounts and developing the formats ...

The SPAR wholesaler for the north of England, James Hall, has acquired the 30-store regional convenience store chain, North East Convenience Stores (NECS).   The deal will see NECS' Nisa-badged stores converted to SPAR in the coming  months, boosting the network of over 600 SPAR stores serviced by the James Hall business across the northern region. NECS parted company with Nisa in February 201...

KPMG the administrators for the failed My Local convenience chain have revealed that they have sold 26 of the 125 stores so far with more deals expected in the weeks ahead. Demand for quality retail space Finding continued growth within the convenience channel is becoming harder with the rate of new store openings falling. This is due to difficulty in finding prime retail space as the ...

There's been growing interest in food-to-go over recent years. Shopping habits have changed, with shoppers visiting stores more often and increasingly looking for more flexible food solutions. In response, more food-to-go (FTG) options have emerged in more locations, and many different operators have looked to capture a share of the market. And this has created a growth market, and one that we...

As Pret a Manger announces it is to open its first outlet in a motorway services, we look at how more operators are moving into motorway service and forecourt locations. SPAR at Roadchef services In summer 2015 Blakemore opened the first of its motorway services SPAR stores, following in the footsteps of M&S and Waitrose, with stores located within services at Northampton and Strensham....