Archive of all Spar articles – Page 33
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BWG ready for growth
Irish wholesale group BWG said this year would be its year of growth after a “dramatic” year of disposals in 2003.BWG group chief executive Leo Crawford said the group was now focused on expanding its three key elements – Spar in the Irish...
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Spar angry with Axfood
International Spar said it was “extremely disappointed” that its franchise operator in Sweden Axfood was to merge its Spar business into the Axfood Hemköp supermarket chain.Spar said nine new stores were added to the chain in Sweden during...
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A Russian revolution
Spar, Auchan and Metro have carved their way into Russia, but with local retailers sharpening their act, could other would-be entrants find themselves missing out on serious money? John Wood reportsAnyone stepping into one of...
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Budgens takes on the symbols
Budgens is taking on Spar and Londis in its fight to attract entrepreneurial retailers. It is encouraging applications from all interested parties as it forges a future as a franchise-only operation.The retail chain’s Irish parent company...
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John Henderson hires Doody as sales director
John Henderson, the Northern Ireland Spar wholesaler, has appointed a new sales director charged with growing its franchise business.Based at John Henderson’s head office at Mallusk, Co Antrim, Patrick Doody will develop and implement a...
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Chilled in its proper place
An exclusive analysis of Spar’s chilled ready meal pilot scheme provides pointers on how to tackle the category widely seen as key to success in convenience. Siân Harrington reportsFresh and chilled foods are seen as the key to...
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BWG’s bid for ADM Londis thrown out
Irish convenience store group ADM Londis has rejected a E35m takeover bid from its rival, BWG, which operates the Spar and Mace franchises in the Republic.The offer, which followed a series of contacts between the two over the past year, was...
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Spar blitz looks to women
Spar is upping the ante as it seeks to become the biggest and best convenience brand in the UK and to stay one step ahead of its multiple rivals.A series of initiatives has been designed to help improve customer perceptions of the Spar brand...
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Spar aims to up standards
Spar is to clamp down on store standards as competition in the convenience sector intensifies.In June it will launch a scheme to cover minimum legal requirements, millennium store compliance and standards. The scheme will have two strands...
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Blakemore looks to tourist trade
Blakemore Food Service is rolling out catering sections to 21 Spar stores in tourist locations, offering supplies to a range of foodservice customers.The stores, located mainly in seaside towns, are owned by Tates, the company-owned stores...
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Self-heat meals listed nationwide
Self-heating canned ready meals are finally making inroads into the mass market with products under the Hotcan brand getting nationwide listings.Launching now in Moto service stations, the range is also listed in Palmer & Harvey, Aldi, Spar...
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Bartfield rises as Spar UK boosts its category focus
Spar UK has promoted Rachel Bartfield to trading manager as part of a wider restructure of its trading department.Bartfield, one of three trading managers in the company, said: “Spar has merged its own label and branded departments tomake...
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Digital on the double
Encouraged by the favourable results from its trial of promotions-based instore screen advertising, Spar plans to roll it out to more stores. Siân Harrington reportsAs Tesco approaches the first anniversary of its digital media...
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CJ Lang chases 17 Spar stores
Scottish Spar wholesaler CJ Lang is chasing a top 10 slot in The Grocer Top 50 through a deal to acquire 17 stores from Spar retailer AJ Gillespie.The deal – at the due diligence stage – would boost turnover at CJ Lang’s company-owned stores...
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C-store chiefs fight deal
C-store bosses have called on the OFT to prevent Tesco from marching unopposed into the convenience sector.Musgrave UK executive chairman Eoin McGettigan, Spar UK MD Jerry Marwood and Big Food Group CEO Bill Grimsey said they would be sounding...
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Alfred Jones swells by purchasing Loggins
Alfred Jones has boosted its estate to 82 stores after scooping up fellow Spar member Jacques Loggins.Alfred Jones, already Spar’s largest independent operator, is ranked 20 in The Grocer’s Top 50 private grocery chains.The 13-store...
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Kealy gets developing
BWG Group has appointed Peter Kealy to a newly created role of group development director. Kealy was MD of BWG subsidiary J& J Haslett until last month’s management buyout(see p9). He was previously md of BWG-owned Spar wholesaler Appleby...
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Retailers need a say in their future
from Bernard Warren, retail vice-chairman, Spar National Guild and Spar retailer, Wool, DorsetSir; Re your story and feature last week about Musgrave’s bid for Londis. Londis has long been one of Spar’s competitors in the...
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Londis: no2 UK symbol
>>unlike spar, wholly owned by membersLondis is the second largest symbol group in the United Kingdom after Spar supplying 2,232 outlets in Britain from three regional distribution centres. The group was formed in 1959 by a...
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Franchise launch
Midlands-based Spar wholesaler AF Blakemore is launching a franchise scheme for budding store managers.The company has identified 20 sites for potential franchises in 2004 and said 100 people had so far registered interest. The target...