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For other uses, see Spar (disambiguation).
Spar is the world’s largest food retailer, with approximately 20,000 stores in 35 countries worldwide[1][2]. SPAR originated in the Netherlands in 1932 and now, through its affiliate organisations, operates through most European countries, South Africa, Asia and Australia.[1] It operates on a principle similar to retailers' co-operatives elsewhere, with owners grouping together to get bulk discounts from suppliers/wholesalers.[1]
[edit] EtymologyThe name was originally DE SPAR, which was an acronym formed from the Dutch phrase Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig (literally: "through united co-operation everyone regularly profits"). Spaar or spar means "save (money)" in Afrikaans, Dutch, Danish, German, Swedish and Norwegian. De spar in Dutch means "the fir tree", hence Spar's logo. As the organisation expanded across Europe, the name was later abbreviated by dropping "DE", but the underlying meaning remains (in Italy, the name is still Despar, though in keeping with the international branding, the "SPAR" section of the logo is highlighted, and the larger stores are still called Eurospar and Interspar). [edit] HistoryIn 1953 an International Spar office was opened in Amsterdam to control and further develop the organisation throughout Europe and other continents. Most Spar stores are in Europe, but they can also be found in a few countries outside of Europe, such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland, Australia, Mauritius, China, India and Japan. In Japan the store operates under the name Hotspar, although the store logo colouring remains unchanged. In the United Kingdom Spar has become known primarily as a convenience store, although in Northern Ireland as well as the Republic of Ireland Spar operates using the subformat Eurospar too. A Spar store may be owned independently, by a franchisee, or be part of a chain, depending on the model applied in any given country. The owners of the parent company vary from country to country and may include the store owners themselves. The only common link between the stores in different countries is the branding—the name and the current logo, which was most recently revised in 1968 by Raymond Loewy and has remained unchanged ever since[3]. There are a number of sub-brands under the Spar brand, with larger supermarkets being branded "Eurospar" or in Africa "Superspar", smaller stores "Spar Express", and hypermarkets "Interspar". Not all of these brands or formats are used in every country, however.[4] The company has been a major sponsor of the European Athletic Association and its events since 1996.[5] The only Drive-Thru Spar in the world is on the Cliftonville Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland.[citation needed] SPAR opened in the Republic of Vanuatu on the 1st December 2009 ending Au Bon Marche's grocery monopoly that it has held for many years. However, Carpenter Group is set to open a Cash 'n Carry early 2010. [edit] Slogans
[edit] International statistics 2006
[edit] References
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] External links
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