Spar has already negotiated "significantly better" day to day trading terms with top suppliers including Coke, Interbrew and Bass through its new buying consortium Multiple Retail Group, claims Keith Webb, proprietary trading director at Spar. "MRG is quite simply the most important thing in the trading environment that we've ever done." MRG represents over 400 company owned stores across the Spar group, which effectively "replicate the multiple set up". Company owned stores clearly had the discipline to implement suppliers' deals, said Webb, but independents that "fit the technical requirements and who are willing to adhere to the necessary disciplines" are also being invited to join. Members must have scanning equipment enabling Spar and its suppliers to monitor adherence to the deals electronically. "As we have the data to prove the deals are being implemented, suppliers won't have to spend extra time and money on auditing," added Webb. "This puts us in a far stronger negotiating position with suppliers; and it has enormous potential as more of our retailers come on board," he added. {{NEWS }}

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