SPAR Hungary

Central office

SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi Kft.
Pf 27
2061 Bicske
Hungary

Tel: +36 22 567 100
Fax: +36 22 567 042

The first SPAR supermarket was opened in 1991, following the acquisition by Aspiag of a majority stake in General Kereskedelmi RT. Since that date SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi (SPAR Hungary Ltd) has actively been involved in the development of retailing and wholesaling in Hungary.

At the end of 2007, SPAR had total retail sales of ?1.13 billion and a market share in this highly competitive market of 10%. Store numbers totalled 204 and included 29 INTERSPAR hypermarkets and 20 large format EUROSPAR supermarkets.

The year 2007 saw a continued strong focus on growth, with the opening of 3 INTERSPAR hypermarkets and 14 SPAR supermarkets. In addition, a further 13 stores were modernised. In the last year SPAR Hungary also won awards for store design. The best SPAR and INTERSPAR stores have been recognised with the ‘Golden Fir tree’ award.

The pace of expansion will be maintained by a combination of organic growth and acquisition. In 2008 Aspiag purchased 178 Plus stores from Tengelmann, which will be integrated into the SPAR Hungary operation over the next three years. SPAR Hungary has also invested in additional DC capacity to support future growth with a new distribution centre opening later in 2008.

With nearly 12,000 employees SPAR Hungary is one of the largest private employers in the country. It is also the first company in the country to train staff as organic food experts. With the inclusion of employees from the Kaiser’s chain, which was purchased in 2003 and now Plus, SPAR Hungary will focus during 2008 on the integration of all employees into one culture. One element of this will be the ‘Family Day’, which fosters the spirit of SPAR.

SPAR in Hungary has pioneered the promotion of healthy lifestyles by providing nutritional information for consumers via their consumer magazine, in-store leaflets and their website. Supporting this initiative is the extensive range of ‘Natur*Pur’ organic products and the SPAR private label range, which has been extended over the past few years. The trained food experts give SPAR Hungary credibility in this area.

SPAR Hungary has also launched a budget range of products which offer consumers a value range to compete with the international discount chains which are expanding rapidly in Hungary.

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