COVID-19 Archives - SPAR International

SPAR Guangdong thanks Dongguan city’s 40,000 frontline sanitation staff

lgunn — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 08:20:56 +0000

SPAR Guangdong has partnered with the Dongguan Charity Association to show appreciation to Dongguan’s 40,000 sanitation staff for their exemplary work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a dedicated ceremony in October, SPAR Guangdong partner Jiarong presented gift bags with a total value of 1.912 million yuan (more than €266,000), containing snacks, noodles, a toothbrush set, and beverages. The Dongguan Charity Association donated vouchers with a total value of 3 million yuan, or 75 yuan per voucher. The gift bags and vouchers, which can be used in any SPAR Guangdong store, have been distributed among Dongguan’s sanitation workers.

Supporting public welfare

“We hope to work with partners from all walks of life to help improve the working and living conditions of sanitation workers. This way more sanitation workers can receive care and benefits, ultimately making the city a better place”, said Mr Liang Zhonghua, SPAR Guangdong Vice President.

SPAR Guangdong Jiarong is committed to supporting public welfare causes and actively participating in different public welfare activities such as donating to schools, ecological protection, assisting disaster-stricken areas, and caring for disadvantaged groups. The Dongguan Charity Association ‘Caring for Sanitation Project’ has been implemented for four consecutive years. This is the fourth year SPAR Guangdong has participated.

Source: SPAR China

About SPAR China

SPAR was introduced to China in 2004 with the signing of the licence agreement for Shandong province. This was followed by the addition of more partners. SPAR currently has partners in eight provinces: Shandong, Guangdong, Beijing, Sichuan, Henan, Hebei, Yunnan and Guizgou. The privately-owned retail chains licensed to operate SPAR have a cooperative relationship. This partnership is in line with the original SPAR mission of working together to reduce costs, maximise sales, and increase profits. The SPAR China Partners, whilst part of a leading international group, maintain 100% local ownership.

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Federal Minister thanks SPAR Austria teams for performances during lockdowns

Kerstin Block — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 07:15:04 +0000

SPAR Austria proved they can maintain supply at all times, including during the lockdowns. SPAR logistics and store employees were particularly challenged during those times. Federal Minister of the Interior, Karl Nehammer, visited the SPAR logistics centre in St. Pölten and on behalf of the government, he thanked the SPAR team for their excellent performances in difficult times.

Food supply in Austria

With eight logistics centres and about 1,580 stores, SPAR Austria is an essential part of the national food supply. Approximately 8.9 million Austrians rely on continuous access to everyday products. At SPAR, regional and locally sourced products are given priority.

Safety for employees and customers

The safety of employees and customers was high on the agenda during the visit of the Minister of the Interior. SPAR has invested in safety for years and has been a partner of the Ministry’s ‘GEMEINSAM.SICHER’ (‘Safety for all’) initiative from the start. As part of this initiative, workshops and training courses on safety are held regularly at SPAR stores. The aim is to improve the safety of everyone, to prepare employees for unpleasant situations and to combat organised crime and cybercrime in retail.

“By knowing the best way to manage situations, the essential contribution to safety for all is possible. This is especially true in times of crisis. The training courses that our employees participated in under the ‘Gemeinsam Sicher’ initiative were very helpful during the Corona crisis and the lockdowns”, said SPAR Austria’s Director of the Board Hans K. Reisch.

Appreciation and respect

The Federal Minister Karl Nehammer was given a tour of the ultra-modern SPAR logistics centre in St. Pölten by Hans K Reisch and Alois Huber, SPAR Austria Managing Director for Vienna, Lower Austria, and Northern Burgenland.

During the tour, Minister Nehammer paid particular attention to the SPAR team. “I am pleased about the visit and the appreciation for our team. It is nice that this extraordinary achievement is recognised”, said Alois Huber.

Source: SPAR Austria

About SPAR Austria

The origins of SPAR in Austria date back to 1954, but the current SPAR AG was created in 1970 when the original founding families joined with other regional wholesalers to form SPAR Austria AG – a 100% privately owned Austrian company.

With licences granted by SPAR International, ASPIAG (Austria SPAR International AG) has developed SPAR in Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Northern Italy. With sales of €8.3 billion and impressive growth of 16%, SPAR Austria became the market leader in the Austrian grocery trade during 2020, after being a market growth leader for over a decade.

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SPAR Ireland trials contactless donations for Make-A-Wish foundation

lgunn — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 07:30:14 +0000

SPAR Ireland is currently trialling an innovative digital ‘Smart Poster’ collection solution in its nationwide estate of more than 400 stores. This solution allows customers to donate to SPAR’s official charity partner Make-A-Wish Ireland via their mobile telephones.

Cash payments have declined since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With in-person donations at an all-time low, the charity sector has been severely impacted. This is particularly significant for Make-A-Wish Ireland. The charity does not receive any government funding and is dependent on support from the public and partners like SPAR to continue granting wishes.

The new technology, Strike Pay, is a portable personal payment tech designed to make paying convenient, safe, and easy for all.

Using this contactless technology, customers in SPAR stores across Ireland can now simply tap their smartphones on the special posters. A web page is subsequently opened on their device. The customer can then donate directly to Make-A-Wish using Apple or Android Pay or directly input their debit/card details.

Towards a cashless society

The initiative is designed to make it easier for people to donate money to worthy causes such as Make-A-Wish while instilling confidence in those who feel uncomfortable handling cash and donating via the traditional instore collection boxes. This is the latest sign of how Ireland is moving towards becoming a ‘cashless’ society.

Susan O’Dwyer, Chief Executive of Make-A-Wish Ireland, said, “COVID-19 has had a significant impact on our wish-granting and fundraising activities. This has resulted in planned wishes having to be rescheduled and re-imagined. We currently have more than 200 seriously ill children waiting for their wishes to be granted. Now more than ever, these children need what Make-A-Wish can bring in the form of hope, strength, and joy.”

Commenting, Colin Donnelly, SPAR Sales Director, said, “Over the last 15 months, we have seen a big decline in the number of people carrying cash in our stores. This has impacted the charity sector particularly badly. As SPAR Ireland’s official Charity partner, we are passionate about supporting the Make-A-Wish mission. We are delighted to trial this innovative technology in our stores, which is a great example of how technology plays a role in helping society one tap at a time. Helping make these sick children’s wishes come true is a way to give them hope and strength for their individual journeys. SPAR is proud to play whatever part we can.”

Raising awareness

Since adopting Make-A-Wish as SPAR Ireland’s official charity partner in 2019, SPAR retailers and their customers have raised nearly €300,000 for the charity.

SPAR has also announced that it is extending its partnership for a third year. As well as the new instore donation capability, SPAR will continue to contribute from the sale of selected SPAR Own Brand products and, COVID-19 restrictions allowing, hold several fundraising activities later this year and into 2022.

Source: SPAR Ireland

About SPAR Ireland

SPAR Ireland was established in 1963. It is operated by a leading wholesale and retail company, BWG Foods, now a subsidiary of SPAR Group Ltd Southern Africa.

With a presence across the Republic of Ireland, SPAR is one of the country’s largest convenience retail groups. In developing the business, SPAR Ireland has a long track record of recognising the strategic importance of new retail concepts. It operates three of the four SPAR formats: SPAR, EUROSPAR, and SPAR Express. These three formats bring consumers a comprehensive range of innovative products and instore offerings.

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Over 102,000 children participate in SPAR Ireland’s FAI School Zone

lgunn — Fri, 14 May 2021 07:04:08 +0000

More than 102,000 primary school children throughout Ireland have taken part in the SPAR FAI School Zone, a new digital learning resource for teachers and parents of primary school children. Launched in March, the digital platform offers interactive and engaging lesson plans designed with both the classroom and homeschooling in mind.

The lessons were delivered twice a week for four weeks to 904 primary schools. The initiative saw 56,419 boys and 46,441 girls enjoy user-friendly lessons covering core subjects such as Maths, History, Geography, English, Art, Irish, and Healthy Eating.

Each participating school was entered into a competition to win various prizes. One school from each county was selected to win a specially commissioned SPAR FAI football kit.

Coláiste Eoin in Crumlin, Co Dublin, was selected as the nationwide winner. As a result, it will receive a virtual meet and greet with Stephen Kenny’s international team members.

SPAR FAI School Zone

SPAR’s support of the SPAR FAI School Zone is a continuation of the company’s dedication to grassroots football. The digital platform was developed as an extension to the hugely successful SPAR FAI Primary School 5s Programme. This programme had to be cancelled this year due to COVID-19.

SPAR Sales Director Colin Donnelly said: “We’ve been supporting the FAI for more than six years now through our ground-breaking sponsorship of the SPAR Primary Schools 5s Programme. It’s been an exceptional year for teachers, parents and students. We are delighted to see that so many children throughout Ireland could take part and benefit from the lessons that the SPAR FAI School Zone provided.”

“The programme’s overall success has been a testament to the commitment of our community network of SPAR retailers around the country. Their involvement with their own local schools continues to drive the participation and success of this great initiative”, Colin Donnelly added.

Source: SPAR Ireland

About SPAR Ireland

SPAR Ireland was established in 1963. It is operated by leading wholesale and retail company, BWG Foods, now a subsidiary of SPAR Group Ltd Southern Africa.

With a presence in every county across the Republic of Ireland, SPAR is one of the country’s largest convenience retail groups. In developing the business, SPAR Ireland has a long track record of recognising the strategic importance of introducing new retail concepts. It operates three of the four SPAR formats: SPAR, EUROSPAR and SPAR Express. As a result, SPAR Ireland brings consumers a comprehensive range of innovative products and instore offerings.

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SPAR Sri Lanka expands brand reach, bringing quality groceries to wider community

Penny van der Kaars — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 08:45:04 +0000

SPAR Sri Lanka has had a very busy start to 2021. Residents of three care homes received much-needed groceries thanks to a highly successful community support initiative. SPAR also expanded the brand's reach, opening two new stores in Kelaniya and Seeduwa during the first quarter of 2021.

Expanding brand reach

In the suburb of Kelaniya in the greater Colombo metro area, a stand-alone SPAR Supermarket brought the brand to the high street on 27 January. About 40km north of the Colombo metro area, near the country’s main airport, the high street of Seeduwa suburb was enriched with a new SPAR Supermarket opening on 25 February.

A total of 30% of the floor space in both stores has been dedicated to fresh foods, including locally sourced foods. With a retail sales area of 1,160m² in Kelaniya and 1,710m² in Seeduwa, these SPAR Supermarkets ensure great shopping experiences. The wide selection of fruit and vegetables, butchery and fish departments, instore bakery, coffee shop and food-to-go departments emphasise the breadth of choice in fresh available.

Compact hypermarket offering

Capitalising on the high street frontage, SPAR Sri Lanka designed the exteriors to ensure customers can see instore. The large parking capacity of both stores ensures all homeward bound shoppers using the main throughways to the nearby large residential areas can easily do their shopping.

In Seeduwa, the store is located to meet tourist shopper needs as well as those of residents. This SPAR store also offers customers a food court with sub-leased pizza and gelato stores complementing the instore coffee shop.

The instore teams are well trained in customer service, product knowledge, and SPAR standards. These skills help them meet the needs of all the local community’s families. With 90 people working in Kelaniya and 80 in Seeduwa, the continued expansion of SPAR Sri Lanka is providing new job opportunities in retail.

Festive openings

With the local community informed in advance of the store launches through press announcements and direct mailings, many shoppers were ready for the grand opening. The local communication was strengthened with external advertising and travelling roadshows. Local newspapers, radio, and television attendance at an opening function further spread the announcement.

Sustainability instore

SPAR Sri Lanka’s sustainability strategy includes the integration of energy-efficient refrigeration and LED lighting instore. When planning the construction of new stores, waste-water recycling is incorporated into the overall investment and design. 80% of the packaging used in the fresh food areas is environmentally friendly.

Community care home support

As part of this initiative, SPAR customers donated products and wrote heart-warming messages to residents. SPAR Sri Lanka packed the groceries into reuseable shopping bags while a donation of essential face masks supported both residents and carers.

Source: SPAR Sri Lanka

SPAR Scotland collection tins bring in £59,350 for Marie Curie

lgunn — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 13:11:51 +0000

SPAR Scotland team members and customers have helped raise an impressive £59,350 (over €69,300) during 2020 for UK charity Marie Curie by donating loose change into collection tins at 108 company-owned stores.

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity. The charity’s nurses have been working on the frontline to ensure patients and their loved ones receive vital care and support at the end of life. In addition to collection tins, SPAR Scotland also supports numerous national and local fundraising activities and initiatives.

Colin McLean, CEO of SPAR Scotland, said: “The beauty of the SPAR partnership with Marie Curie is that it allows us to utilise the huge number of SPAR stores within our organisation. Whether that’s through collection tins, instore fundraising events, SPAR own-label product donations or daffodils sold in our stores, we look to raise awareness of the charity in every way possible.”

Christine Connor, Corporate Partnerships Manager Scotland for Marie Curie, adds: “The partnership between Marie Curie and SPAR Scotland is very special. In a year like no other when fundraising opportunities across Scotland have been decimated by the pandemic, the monies raised in 2020 by SPAR Scotland and their customers is nothing short of exceptional!”

Last week it was announced that SPAR UK had delivered 1 million pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Marie Curie Nurses working on the frontline as part of their innovative ‘PPE Click & Collect Service’.

Source: SPAR UK
Read more SPAR UK news.

About SPAR UK

The UK became a member of SPAR in 1956 when SPAR International granted the SPAR licence to a group of independent wholesalers. There are now five regional partners in the UK. A central office in London provides national marketing and buying services for the group.

SPAR has led the highly competitive convenience market in the UK for many years. Always innovative, the five regional partners have continued to grow the brand. SPAR UK comprises independently-owned licensed retailers and company-owned stores. These include forecourts, airports, train stations, city centres, and local neighbourhood stores.

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SPAR UK delivers landmark 1 million pieces of PPE to Marie Curie nurses

lgunn — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 08:13:08 +0000

SPAR UK has delivered 1 million pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Marie Curie Nurses working on the frontline as part of their innovative ‘PPE Click & Collect Service’.

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity. It employs more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals. With its nine hospices around the UK, it is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS. Marie Curie Nurses have relied on PPE to continue delivering vital care to dying people, with and without coronavirus, throughout the pandemic.

SPAR UK has helped the charity deliver the vast quantities of essential PPE needed to their frontline staff by transporting PPE around the UK and enabling staff to pick it up from their local SPAR store.

Weekly needs
Across the South West and North of England, Marie Curie Nurses use an average of 118,000 pieces of PPE a week. Thanks to the generosity of SPAR UK wholesalers James Hall & Co. and Appleby Westward, Marie Curie Nurses have been able to collect their PPE, including face masks, aprons, gloves, visors, goggles, and hand sanitiser from their local SPAR store.

Since May 2020, over 1 million vital PPE pieces have been delivered safely to Marie Curie Nurses. Overall, 150,000 nursing hours have been protected thanks to SPAR’s support.

Marie Curie Healthcare Assistant Flora Snape has worked for the charity for eight years and can travel anything up to 25 miles one way from home.

“It’s a real privilege to care for people at the end of life and support families during a very difficult time. PPE is vital for us to continue delivering vital care during the pandemic”, Flora said.

“I’m so happy that I could pop into my local SPAR and pick up my PPE, rather than waiting for it to arrive in the post. I’ve been able to do a bit of shopping at the same time, which is very convenient for my colleagues and me”, she added.

“At a time when coronavirus has had, and continues to have, a devastating impact on our fundraising and income, this initiative from SPAR UK has helped the charity save vital funds. So, on behalf of the nursing service, I would like to say a big thank-you to SPAR for making this possible.”

Peter Dodding, Sales and Marketing Director for SPAR’s wholesaler James Hall & Co in the North of England, said: “We feel incredibly privileged to be partnered with Marie Curie and to have played a small part in helping their community nurses continue such essential care during this difficult time. Thank you to our independent SPAR retailers and company owned SPAR stores for making this possible.”

Source: SPAR UK
Read more SPAR UK news.

About SPAR UK

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SPAR Shandong donates 90,000 face masks to elderly care homes in Weihai, China

lgunn — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 09:44:22 +0000

SPAR Shandong partner Jiajiayue Group has made another donation to the Chinese city of Weihai in support of its COVID-19 prevention and control work. In February, the SPAR operator donated 90,000 masks which will be distributed in elderly care institutions across the city. The donation occurred during a ceremony at the Weihai Stadium.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, SPAR Partners in China not only successfully continued to serve customers by providing for their daily grocery needs but also through community initiatives. These included generous donations towards epidemic prevention work.

Among these initiatives, SPAR Shandong, on 1 February 2020 donated 8 million yuan (over €1 million) towards epidemic prevention and control efforts in the city of Weihai and Shandong province.

Acting in solidarity with their European colleagues, SPAR Shandong in March 2020 also kindly donated 100,000 face masks and 100,000 gloves, which were distributed to SPAR stores throughout Europe.

“Currently, there are new challenges in the prevention and control of the epidemic”, said Li Mei, Deputy General Manager of the group. “We have donated 90,000 masks this time to encourage everyone to cooperate with the prevention and control work. We also seek to raise awareness since everyone is responsible and must take personal protection seriously by maintaining good hygiene habits. We must unite and work together to succeed in controlling this pandemic.”

Source: SPAR China

SPAR and Cáritas partner to boost employment in Gran Canaria

Magda Zwang — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 08:30:28 +0000

SPAR and local charity Cáritas Diocesana de Canarias have signed an agreement to boost employment in Gran Canaria. The two parties have made a firm commitment to improve the quality of life of those most at risk of social exclusion by expanding job opportunities at SPAR stores.

Cáritas Diocesana will offer job intermediation support to SPAR Gran Canaria when it comes to onboarding new team members. As a continuation of the collaboration, SPAR will facilitate work experience options for young people, favouring those who have been unemployed over an extended period.

During 2020, the Cáritas Employment Area served over 575 people through its labour guidance services. Despite the health and social crisis generated by COVID-19, 247 people participated in different occupational training modules, and 108 people found employment.

Food donations

SPAR Gran Canaria has also donated more than 2 tonnes of milk and juices to Cáritas to help stock the charity’s social dining rooms.

SPAR and Cáritas have joined forces for years to improve the quality of life of the most disadvantaged groups in Gran Canaria. In 2020, this partnership was enriched through the distribution of purse cards for families in need as well as food donations by the Spanish SPAR Partner to Cáritas.

Source: SPAR Gran Canaria

SPAR UK partner celebrates £400K charity fundraising milestone for Marie Curie

lgunn — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 08:50:35 +0000

James Hall & Co., SPAR wholesaler for the north of England, is celebrating a charity milestone having raised £400,000 (over €450,700) for end-of-life care charity, Marie Curie.

Frontline support
Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity. The charity’s nurses, doctors, and Hospice staff are on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis. Marie Curie delivers expert hands-on care, emotional support, research, and guidance. SPAR team members across the north of England have hosted instore fundraising activities and sponsored challenges to support Marie Curie since 2017.

“On behalf of everyone at Marie Curie, I would like to thank James Hall & Co. for their incredible support and dedication. This is a tremendous milestone to reach. It allows us to continue caring and supporting people living with a terminal illness and their loved ones. Without the support of partners like James Hall & Co., we simply would not be able to support as many families as we do”, said Michelle Martin, Director of Development and Communities at Marie Curie.

Fundraising activities
Peter Dodding, Sales and Marketing Director at James Hall & Co. said, “Marie Curie offer vital comfort and care to so many families in great need, and we are incredibly proud to have raised this fantastic figure.”

“Staff from our SPAR stores, warehouse depot and network of independent SPAR retailers have proudly supported fundraising activities over the past three years, including The Great Daffodil Appeal, Blooming Great Tea Party, Halloween, Go Yellow Week, and our SPARkle festive fundraising fortnight.”

“As a company, we donate a percentage of the sale from every SPAR sandwich sold in a north of England SPAR store. [We also donate] a percentage of the sale from products such as daffodil bunches and cupcakes during Marie Curie’s flagship fundraising events like The Great Daffodil Appeal.”

Peter added, “Despite the challenges of COVID-19, staff have been determined to do all they can to support Marie Curie. They have continued to host creative and enjoyable instore fundraising activities.”

“Since October, James Hall & Co. has also been helping Marie Curie deliver essential PPE to the charity’s network of community nurses. This helps ease some of the pressure of distributing enough PPE for nurses to continue delivering essential care in patients’ homes.”

Source: SPAR UK
Read more SPAR UK news.

About SPAR UK

The UK became a member of SPAR in 1956 when SPAR International granted the SPAR licence to a group of independent wholesalers. There are five regional partners in the UK. A central office in London provides national marketing and buying services for the group.

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