SPAR and EUROSPAR have today announced plans to add 60 new stores to their combined network in Ireland by 2025, culminating in a €65m investment from brand owner BWG Foods, along with independent retailers. The expansion will bring the total number of stores operating under the two banners to 525.
BWG Foods stated that it has already identified a number of potential sites and will be focussing on the emergence of new communities in the vicinity of Ireland’s major cities on the back of new housing developments. It said that the new sites would have the potential to create over 1,100 new jobs.
In addition to its new store openings, SPAR and EUROSPAR have plans to upgrade over 100 existing sites in Ireland. This will include the roll-out of a new store design for the EUROSPAR supermarket format that will pioneer several new carbon reduction features, including the latest refrigeration technologies, solar panel installations and recycled fixings. The new design and supporting features were designed by BWG Foods in conjunction with SPAR International.
SPAR and EUROSPAR’s expansion plans come on the back of solid performance for the combined network in 2022, with retail sales in Ireland increasing 4.5% to over €1.6bn as grocery sales began to normalise post-Covid. The group noted that trading across its city centre and business park stores continued to recover throughout last year.
BWG revealed that January and February this year had seen further performance uplifts on 2022, with SPAR and EUROSPAR now targeting retail sales of €1.67bn in 2023.
Leo Crawford, Group Chief Executive of the BWG Group, commented: “Our SPAR and EUROSPAR brands continue to perform very well, and our exceptional sales are a tribute to the strength of the SPAR and EUROSPAR brands which have been at the forefront of the grocery sector in Ireland for the past 60 years. We are very confident about the opportunities for future growth and look forward to supporting our retailers to further develop and expand their businesses over the coming years.”
He added: “Changing consumer behaviours are transforming the retail landscape and we will be ensuring that our SPAR and EUROSPAR stores respond with innovative solutions to meet the needs of the more than 1 million customers who visit our stores every day.”
NAM Implications:
- This 13% increase in estate size, especially given ‘development’ locations…
- …should provide incremental sales for SPAR & EUROSPAR.
- Patently key for suppliers to propose initiatives that can optimise this potential.
