CJ Lang has become the second Spar wholesaler to open a store under the Spar Market fascia.
The Scottish business launched the site in Dalbeattie, Dumfriesshire, after acquiring it from Nisa retailer James Kinnaird. It also equates to the first time the wholesaler has opened a new company-owned store since 2017.
The Spar Market format is designed for larger convenience stores with a focus on fresh. CJ Lang said the store opening marked a “step change” in its fresh food and produce offering to shoppers.
It features an enhanced range of fruit & veg and chilled foods, while catering for customers cooking at home, or those who are on the go.
The latter includes its CJ’s food-to-go counter that includes a hot breakfast and lunch offer, with support from local bakers for a range of rolls, cakes, sweet treats and hot savouries. A self-serve Costa Express coffee machine, Tango Ice Blast and frozen Calippo slush machine would also be installed in the coming weeks, it added.
The Dundee-based wholesaler said its fresh offer would be further complemented with ranges from local suppliers, including Irving’s Bakery, Mitchell’s of Castle Douglas, Irthing Vale Wholesale, Lockerbie Cheddars and Galloway Preserves.
“We are delighted to have acquired the Kinnaird’s store,” said CJ Lang company-owned stores operations director Brian Straiton. “We have acquired a successful family-run business and recognise all the great work that James Kinnaird and his team have undertaken in the local community over many years.
“We are very excited to be back in the property market to acquire new convenience stores as part of our business strategy of adding an additional three to four stores per year to our company-owned estate.
“Spar Market is an exciting new fresh, chilled and produce store format for CJ Lang and Spar Scotland that will really help to differentiate and grow from our traditional Spar customer offer.
“As a genuinely Scottish family business we share many similar values with the Kinnaird family. We want to maintain all the great work that they have done, and build upon these, whilst adding additional Spar Scotland products and services to the store.”
The Spar Market fascia first launched in 2017 with AF Blakemore-supplied independent retailer Conrad Davies at his flagship store in Gwynedd, Wales. AF Blakemore then opened its first company-owned store under the fascia in Bala, Wales last year.
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