Spar International has announced a new partnership with Burque Group, which will see the retailer open its first stores in Pakistan.
Spar Pakistan's first outlet is a 1,000-square-metre store in Karachi, but the company says that it plans to expand across the country with a variety of formats, from convenience stores to supermarkets.
"Pakistan is set to become one of the fastest-growing retail markets in the world," said Tobias Wasmuht, managing director of Spar International.
"With a population of over 200 million, two thirds of whom are under the age of 30, with a quarter living in the top 20 cities, the Spar model is tailor-made to respond to the growing demand from consumers for modern, world-class food retailing," Wasmuht continued.
Expansion Plans
The new Spar supermarket in Karachi will feature a bakery, a butchery, a wide selection of dairy, fruits and vegetables, and a food-to-go counter, as well as a pharmacy and health and beauty sections.
Spar says that it has been working closely with Burque Group over the past ten months to prepare for this launch.
Ali Sherazi, CEO of Spar Pakistan, described it as a "watershed moment" for food retailing in the country. "We have worked hard to ensure that we offer consumers the best that Pakistan has to offer," Sherazi added.
Pakistan now becomes part of Spar's international network, which extends to 46 countries worldwide.
The company recently became the first international retailer to enter the market in Belarus, and it has plans to open its first store in Cyprus in 2018.
Spar has also been expanding its growing networks in Albania and Georgia in the past year.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
