Spar has opened its first stores in Albania and is planning rapid expansion in the country.
It has partnered with the Balfin Group and has already opened two stores on the same day - a 72,000 sq ft store in Tirana East Gate and a 38,000 sq ft store in the QTU shopping centre, also in Tirana. The shops are currently the largest food stores in Albania.
Balfin Group operates the Euromax chain of food stores with two hypermarkets and 13 supermarkets, currently trading under the Carrefour brand. The two hypermarkets are the stores that have already been converted to the Spar fascia and it also plans to switch the 13 supermarkets to Spar in the near future.
Balfin Group said it planned to open more than 100 supermarkets and 10 further hypermarkets by the end of 2017. Its store programme represents investment of more than €50m and will create the largest retail network in Albania.
Julian Mane, Balfin’s vice president of retail, welcomed the Spar partnership and what it meant for Albania.
“Our multimillion-euro investment and ambitious plans for expansion are based firmly on our confidence in the Spar offering,” he said.
“The expected growth of the Albanian market and our strong distribution and logistics capabilities strengthen the partnership further. We look forward to bringing these modern new store formats, excellent products and great customer service to our customers in Albania.”
Spar International managing director Tobias Wasmuht said the company was “delighted” to be partnering with Balfin Group.
“Working in true co-operation with the Balfin Group, we are able to unite the best of international with the best of local, creating an excellent proposition of value, service, quality and choice for our customers in Albania,” he said.
The launch of Spar in Albania has been complemented with a television campaign and outdoor advertising.
Entry into Albania brings to 44 the number of countries in which Spar currently operates, with Spar International reporting global retail sales of €33bn in 2015 from 12,100 stores across four continents.
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