SPAR Italy retail partner Maiora has opened two new in-store food production sites for bakery and delicatessen, as well as an in-store fresh fish platform.
The new sites will supply fresh products daily to company-owned SPAR stores across six Italian regions.
Maiora’s company-owned SPAR store network comprises 89 stores, with about 2,000 team members in the regions Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, and Abruzzo.
SPAR Italy Bakery And Fish Platform
The new bakeries are located at INTERSPAR outlets in Modugno and near the airport in Pescara.
The bakers integrate quality ingredients and traditional methods to prepare local favourites, enhancing the product offering at SPAR stores.
The in-store bakeries are part of the company’s Storie del Gusto initiative, aimed at promoting local culinary traditions.
Bread and bakery products are skilfully prepared for each of the six regions, in keeping with their specific traditions and culinary heritage.
Special Storie del Gusto branding has been created to package bread and other specialties produced at SPAR stores.
Specialised staff training is an important element of these two food production facilities, where experienced bakers prepare the the bread, the retailer noted.
It implements a traditional bread making method, using traditional starter dough biga that involves about 48 hours of slow rising in some cases – a process that enhances the taste and texture of the bread.
Similarly, the new fish platform promotes a large offering of high-quality fresh food that fits well with local culinary traditions.
The fish platform is located at the INTERSPAR store in Corato, Bari.
Training And Development
The new bakery production sites employ about 20 people, including bakers and bread packers.
SPAR added that all of them were trained ‘on the job’, and the company places great importance on developing skills and talents among its teams by continually investing in its people.
Earlier this year, SPAR Italy started a partnership with Retail Institute to further enhance the scope of staff training, in line with SPAR’s values of placing people at the centre of the business.
Pippo Cannillo, president and CEO of Maiora, commented on the new production sites, saying, “The bakery and fishmonger counters are two fundamental departments in our culinary tradition. Therefore, improving our offering through technology and logistics provides not only an additional service to our customers, but it also pays a real tribute to our bountiful land.”
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Fresh Produce news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
