Unpacking the four territories
We serve our independent and corporate stores through our warehouses, distribution centres, logistics excellence and relationships. We are the local custodian of the SPAR brand and a range of SPAR affiliated brands, promoted through our various store formats. In Ireland, we support several well-known convenience brands in addition to the SPAR brand.
Our retailers’ stores are located where people live and are designed around community needs and convenience. They cater to all income groups and offer parking and access to public transport where possible.
Distribution centres serve regions from a centralised location, consisting of warehousing, cold storage and packing stations.
SPAR Southern Africa has six major regional distribution centres, one Build it (building material imports) and one S Buys (pharmaceutical) distribution centre. Satellite warehousing hubs reduce transport costs on specific distribution routes.
| 1 | Build it stores are also included in-store numbers within each region, as these stores receive services from their regional distribution centre. |
| 2 | Nature of pharmaceutical deliveries not comparable. |
| 3 | Angelo Swartz was appointed Group CEO effective 1 October 2023 and Damon Harry was appointed as Divisional Managing Director of the KZN division shortly thereafter. |
The table below outlines the South African store formats.
| * | During 2023, the Pharmacy management team made the necessary decision to withdraw the membership of some pharmacies with low levels of loyalty, reducing the store network to 125 stores. |
Our store format offering comprises mostly convenience stores, with EUROSPAR representing the supermarket format.
BWG Foods owns Ireland’s largest Cash and Carry chain, Value Centre. Value Centre cash and carry provides a direct general wholesale supply service to the wider, independent retail grocery market. Wholesale brands include BWG Foodservice (servicing the Irish catering industry from three depots), and BWG Wines and Spirits (operating from BWG Foods’ national distribution centre).
BWG Foods supplies the SPAR, EUROSPAR, MACE, Londis and XL brands nationwide through the national distribution centre in Kilcarbery. It is the largest retailer in the Irish convenience retail market by market share. It also supplies 114 Gala and Fresh stores (2022: 56 stores) in Ireland.
BWG Group owns the Appleby Westward Group in the South West of England. It operates a SPAR distribution centre in Saltash, Cornwall, and a multi-temperature depot in Cullompton, Devon.
| * | Leo Crawford is the CEO of BWG Group. |
SPAR Switzerland comprises local neighbourhood stores with a wide product range, including the on-the-go convenience format, SPAR Express.
The distribution and logistics centre in St Gallen services a range of independent retailers operating under the SPAR, MAXI and other brands. It also services 51 independent convenience retail brands not owned by SPAR.
The Divisional Managing Director for FY2023 was Rob Philipson.
In September 2023, the Board decided that it was in the best interests of all stakeholders to sell its interests in SPAR Poland. Refer to page 72 for more information.
SPAR Poland serves consumers in all income groups through SPAR formats.
The distribution centres in Poznań and Czeladź service independent SPAR retailers in the northern and southern regions of the country, respectively.
The Czeladź distribution centre expansion was finalised early in the year.
The Country Head for FY2023 was Rob Philipson.
