Information AboutSpar |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SPAR | |
| convenience stores | |
| supermarkets of romania | |
| supermarkets of spain | |
This article is about the convenience store. For other uses, see Spar (disambiguation) . SPAR is an international Retail franchise comprising over 13,700 stores in 33 countries. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 , operating on a principle similar to Co-operative stores elsewhere, with retailers grouping together to get bulk discounts from suppliers/wholesalers. In 1953 an International SPAR office was opened in Amsterdam to control and further develop the organisation throughout Europe and other continents. See www.spar-international.com for more details. Most SPAR stores are in Europe , but they can also be found in a few countries outside of Europe, such as South Africa , Botswana , Namibia , Zimbabwe , Zambia , Australia , Mauritius , China and Japan . In Japan the store operates under the name ''HOTSPAR'', although the store Logo colouring remains unchanged. In the United Kingdom and Ireland , SPAR has become known primarily as a Convenience Store format. The name, which was originally DE SPAR, is an acronym formed from the , German , Norwegian , Slovenian , and Swedish . ''De spar'' in Dutch means "the Fir tree", hence SPAR's Logo . As the organisation expanded across Europe, the name was later abbreviated by dropping "DE", but the underlying meaning remains (in Italy , the name is still ''Despar'', though in keeping with the international branding, the "SPAR" section of the logo is highlighted, and the larger stores are still called EUROSPAR and INTERSPAR). A SPAR store may be owned independently, by a Franchisee , or be part of a Chain , depending on the model applied in any given country. The owners of the parent company vary from country to country and may include the store owners themselves. The only common link between the stores in different countries is the branding - the name and the current logo, which was designed in 1968 and has remained unchanged ever since. There are a number of sub-brands under the SPAR brand, with larger Supermarket s being branded "EUROSPAR" or in Africa "SUPERSPAR", smaller stores "SPAR Express", and Hypermarket s "INTERSPAR". Not all of these brands or formats are used in every country, however. The company has been a major sponsor of the European Athletic Association and its events since 1996 . The only Drive-Thru Spar in the world is on the Cliftonville Road in Belfast , Northern Ireland . SLOGANS
SPAR INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS 2005 EXTERNAL LINKS REFERENCES
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