CJ Lang & Son, the Scottish SPAR wholesaler and store operator, saw a 9.4% increase in turnover to £212.5m during the year ending 30 April 2021, with pre-tax profits doubling to £3m.
The company attributed some of its success to changes in shopping behaviour during the pandemic that included increased spending in local convenience stores. It also benefitted from improvements in its product range and food-to-go offer.
CEO Colin McLean commented: “The previous 12 months saw a significant change in the retail landscape as the impact of COVID-19 was felt. Like many other retailers, our primary focus has been on the well-being of our staff whilst supporting our customers in the many local Scottish communities in which we operate as changes in routine have resulted in many shoppers choosing to shop locally.”
He added: In the past 12 months, we have invested over £2m in the rollout of our food-to-go offer, CJ’s, which will be in the majority of our company-owned stores by the end of 2021. We also continued to grow our independent customer base, whilst making improvements to our product offer, to meet the changing customer needs within convenience retailing.
“As part of our business transformation programme, we recently announced record levels of future investment into our company-owned store estate, with a major programme of store refurbishment works commencing from 2022. This will facilitate an improved SPAR customer offer across both chilled and produce categories. We are focused on providing our customers with excellent service, together with the best local products and an award-winning SPAR brand range.
“The Scottish retail market environment remains extremely challenging, with significant potential headwinds. Inflationary cost pressures, supply chain impacts, driver and fuel shortages have been well documented, however we remain well-positioned to navigate these challenges.”
