SPAR International has seen annual sales across its operations amount to over €40 billion for the first time, as it reported global sales revenue of €41.2 billion for 2021.
The figures represent a 3.3% year-on-year increase in revenue at constant currency levels.
Global Presence
SPAR, the world’s largest food retail voluntary chain, currently operates 13,623 stores across 48 markets worldwide.
On a two-year basis, compared to 2019, global sales grew by 10.7%, based on average annual exchange rates.
Between 2017 and 2021, the retailer reported a compound annual growth rate of 5.1% and an increase of more than 840 stores worldwide.
In Europe, SPAR achieved a retail turnover of over €33 billion last year, from 12,011 stores in 27 countries.
Outside of Europe, SPAR China generated retail sales of €1.38 billion, operating 330 stores with a total of 720,000 square metres of retail space, while SPAR South Africa’s retail turnover for 2021 was €5.3 billion, a 1.4% increase year-on-year.
International SPAR Congress
The results were announced at the International SPAR Congress 2022 in Amsterdam, at which representatives of the worldwide SPAR organisation gathered from over 40 countries worldwide.
This year’s congress marks the historic celebration of the 90th anniversary of the retailer, celebrating the global progress it has achieved from its Dutch origins when Adriaan van Well founded the brand by uniting independent retailers in 1932.The chain used the occasion of the International Congress to announce the launch of the brand in South America for the first time later this year, having signed a partnership agreement with Los Jardines in Paraguay.
Expanding Presence
In addition, SPAR plans to expand its footprint in Europe with the opening of SPAR Latvia in mid-2022, marking the 18th EU country in which the SPAR brand has a presence.
The company is also set to establish the brand in Central Asia, with a launch in Kazakhstan planned for the second half of 2022.
“SPAR has demonstrated sustained resilience as the impact of the pandemic continued to affect our operations internationally,” said Tobias Wasmuht, CEO, SPAR International.
“We have grown both our presence and scale in ever-changing and demanding conditions, thanks to the competitive advantages of the SPAR multi-format strategy and the critical role of independent retailing in communities across the globe, which were again a clear factor of success throughout 2021."
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Retail news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
