The SPAR Veggie range witnessed sales growth of close to a quarter (24%) in Austria in 2023, compared to the preceding year.
The range, which offers 120 vegan and vegetarian products, saw sales growing by more than double from 2018 to 2023, SPAR Austria added.
SPAR Austria’s own-brand range comprises over 800 vegetarian and vegan products, including the SPAR Veggie brand.
This year, the retailer has teamed up with the international organisation Veganuary to inspire more people to adopt a vegan lifestyle.
Meat-Free Products
Elsewhere, SPAR Austria has invested around €3 million in machines and systems at its TANN meat plants in St Pölten (Lower Austria) and Wernberg (Carinthia).
The facilities commenced the production of meat-free products at the beginning of 2023, allowing the company to expand its vegan offering with new products.
The retailer plans to introduce a vegan meatloaf SKU, previously available on the hot counter.
Aspartame Ban
Last November, SPAR Austria announced that it had banned aspartame from its private-label dairy brands and was nearing the total phase-out of the artificial sweetener from its entire store brand range.
At the time, 99% of its private-label brands were already aspartame-free, with the milk and dairy portfolio having gone 100% aspartame-free since autumn.
Elsewhere, the supervisory board of SPAR Austria appointed Hans K Reisch as the new chief executive of SPAR AG in November 2023.
Reisch will serve as the chairperson of the company’s management board, which includes three senior executives – Markus Kaser, Paul Klotz and Marcus Wild – the retailer added.
