Archive of all Spar articles – Page 33
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Franchise launch
Midlands-based Spar wholesaler AF Blakemore is launching a franchise scheme for budding store managers.The company has identified 20 sites for potential franchises in 2004 and said 100 people had so far registered interest. The target...
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OTC sim cards
Virgin Mobile is seeking to turn mobile phone SIM cards into an impulse line. Spar, Menzies and the Co-operative Group stores will sell them at £9.99 each over the counter.Retailers will display them in packs of 10 in counter display units....
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Spar supplies MoD one-stop shop
Spar has opened a 400 sq ft c-store at one of the MoD’s new one-stop shops combining a retail, catering and leisure offer at military bases.The development, at RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire, is part of the MoD’s new Pay As You Dine initiative,...
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Acquisition drive for CJ Lang
Stalled expansion plans by Scotland’s largest independent retailer look set to kick into action in the next few weeks, as a raft of new initiatives begin to bear fruit.Spar’s Scottish principal, CJ Lang, announced plans to double its...
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Spar stores to try out touchscreen community kiosks
Spar plans to trial instore touchscreen ‘community’ kiosks enabling customers to access products, services, and discounts on admission to tourist attractions. The kiosks, from start-up company Touch-2-Save, will drive footfall and enable...
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Spar turns on instore TV ads
Spar is to be the first convenience store operator to use instore digital media to influence shoppers at the point of purchase.The retailer will pilot a network in six stores from the first week of September. The move follows Tesco’s high...
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Spar backs British meat
Symbol group Spar has launched a national branded range of red meat which will be made available to all 2,700 stores nationwide.The 25 fixed weight prepack cuts of beef, lamb and pork are all from farm-assured suppliers. The launch...
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MRG takes in Spar own label
Spar is broadening the scope of its Multiple Retail Group to include Spar own label products for the first time.The scheme, which pays quarterly retrospective discounts to retailers that stock an agreed range of products, had paid out more...
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open all hours
Dundee-based Spar wholesaler C J Lang plans to have 40 out of the 307 Scottish stores it services trading 24 hours a day by February 1998. The Rosemount shop in Aberdeen this week became the sixth to open throughout the night. C J Lang marketing...
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The bane of Ian Florey's working week is the M25 which mea
As Spar's trading manager for fresh, Florey says his favourite part of the job is being involved with the introduction of new ranges from the embryonic stage right through to the shelf and then "seeing the sales rolling in". Recalling his last...
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The bane of Ian Florey's working week is the M25 which mea
As Spar's trading manager for fresh, Florey says his favourite part of the job is being involved with the introduction of new ranges from the embryonic stage right through to the shelf and then "seeing the sales rolling in". Recalling his last...
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Leo's symbols of success
With the turmoil of the BWG sale behind him, CEO Leo Crawford is relishing his growth plans for the Spar and Bargain Booze fascias, as he tells Anne Bruce.BWG's chief executive officer Leo Crawford is waiting for news on a sale of J&J Haslett,...
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Views from the frontline
Spar retailer Mike Pritchard runs a 2,500 sq ft store in Treherbert, Wales. It's a busy community store offering a full grocery range. But the one thing you will not find is a PayPoint terminal - because Pritchard had his machine removed four...
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Decades spent building Scottish Spar chain Botterills have t
Botterill,who is also president of the Scottish Grocers' Federation, says bluntly: "If a store is not performing it has to be turned round. And if it doesn't work, get out of it and concentrate on stores that are going to give growth and profit."...
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Awards for Spar stores
The best Spar stores have been highlighted in the inaugural Spar Stars Awards ceremony in Bristol. Retail director Steve Blackmore said: "Rewarding excellence impacts on sales and margin. Research shows a good store receives 2.5 times more visits...
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Simon Howie joins Spar for breakfast
A Scottish butcher is hoping for success with both independents and multiples. Dunning-based Simon Howie Foods has teamed up with both Sainsbury and Spar wholesaler CJ Lang in two separate projects. Wholesaler CJ Lang is offering a range of...
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Botterills in mood to grow
Scottish Spar chain Botterills was in good shape to expand and add batches of new stores when opportunities arise said managing director Jim Botterill. The 37-store Botterills chain increased sales by 12% to £55.5m and like-for-like sales by...
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E200m pledge for Spar growth
Anne Bruce BWG plans to put almost E200m into expanding Spar in the Irish Republic over the next three years, bringing the portfolio up to around 500 stores. The move was announced this week following a strategic review in the wake of the...
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Hendersons given green light to buy main NI rival
Julian Hunt Spar wholesaler John Henderson Holdings stunned the independent retail scene in Northern Ireland this week by unveiling plans to acquire arch rival J&J Haslett for an undisclosed sum. Hendersons has been given an exclusivity...
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Pure Dynamite...
Golfing fans at Spar Scotland's show in Fife last week made a dash for the bunkers when a security alert caused an evacuation of the venue. Being within driving range of golfing mecca The Old Course' at St Andrews, when the alarm turned out to...