Spar UK managing director Louise Hoste has outlined its upcoming new smaller format it is working on.
Speaking to ConvenienceStore.co.uk, Hoste explained how the smaller format, expected to be less than 1,000sq ft per average store, will cater to on-the-go and meal for tonight categories, depending on its locality.
The new format will be a smaller size store, with the city centre sites catering to an on-the-go market while the more rural sites will have more of a meal for tonight focus.
Although the new format is in its infancy, Hoste explained that Spar UK has been looking abroad for ideas, and that Spar Holland is showing “really good execution of this proposition”. The new formats are currently in the site identification phase with trials expected to be up-and-running next year.
Hoste said Spar UK needs to ensure it has a “compelling proposition, especially for on-the-go eating”. She also cited the refitted stores at Queens University Belfast and the street food proposition at Aberystwyth as good models for tailoring the on-the-go offering to the demographic of the customer base.
Own-label
One area that Spar, and its retailers, has been highlighting lately is its own-label range and that it’s one of the few groups that has products under the same label as that above the door.
“Retailers are proud of the Spar brand, and connecting the name [of the store] and the products does drive loyalty amongst shoppers,” she explains. “It’s an element of our recruitment message.”
Hoste added that the Spar own-label range will undergo a pack refresh to bring it in-line with the local messaging that the overall business has focused on. She said the packaging refresh will happen over the next year or so.
Investment and recruitment
With the cost of running a business proving a headache for some, Hoste said Spar UK has been focusing on helping retailers “grow their business” and that the announced £122m investment will help them do that. She said that Spar UK has helped retailers make their stores more efficient via the introduction of cost-saving technology such as updated refrigeration units, shelf-edge labelling or new lighting. When asked about self-service checkouts, she said that while it’s up to individual retailers and their wholesalers to decide if it’s the right move for them, she stressed the need for maintaining service to customers. “Covid-19 has changed the mindsets for retailers, and many are working smarter than ever but it’s important to have that human connection with your shoppers.”
She said that the business has opened or refitted 333 stores over the past year and launched the Market format. With symbol groups looking to bolster their estates with more retailers, is Spar on a recruitment drive? “We’re always looking for good independent retailers but they have to be the right fit for Spar UK.”
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