Spar Hungary has announced the construction of a new food preparation plant in the town of Üllő, in central Hungary.
The the construction of the new facility is on the site of an existing Spar logistics centre. The company will invest over HUF 1.2 billion (€3.8 million), which includes HUF 250 million (€800,000) for technology and equipment, according to the retailer.
The Üllő facility will have two packaging lines and complies with the highest level of food safety standards, said Spar. It aims to supply products made at the plant to all Spar, Interspar, and Spar partner license stores in the country.
Five years after the retailer launched its partner format, a total of 133 Spar license stores are operated throughout the country, providing employment to almost 1,500 people.
The annual turnover of those stores adds up to more than HUF 32 billion (€100 million). The retailer said it has an agreement with 109 Spar retailers throughout the country and continues to welcome new independent retailers to the network.
Vegan Range
Spar Hungary has also expanded its range to more than 60 different plant-based products under the European 'Veganz’ brand. These include organic vegetable milk, natural sweeteners, seed creams, high-concentration protein powders and various confectionery and biscuit items, it said.
The retailer recently launched a free app aimed at consumers looking to improve their health and well-being as part of its ‘Lifestyle Change’ programme.
The retailer also expanded its selection of healthier branded and private-label foods at the beginning of the year with a range of organic and 'free-from’ products.
Investment Rewards
The retailer said the ongoing investments are paying off, with it winning a number of awards. It recently won the ‘Superbrands’ title for the ninth time, which evaluates brands among 90 countries.
It also received acknowledgement at the Superstore competition organised by Trade magazine and Trade Marketing Club, in which the Érd Interspar store was ranked first in the hypermarket category. That store also came in second at Mastercard’s ‘Retailer of the Year’ competition, in the category ‘best customer experience’.
“These awards mean huge recognition and confirmation for us, meaning that our efforts and investments for providing top quality services to our customers have paid off,” according to Márk Maczelka, head of communications at Spar Hungary.
“During the last years, we carried out numerous investments enabling our customers to visit modern stores every day. This year, we will invest more than HUF 23 billion (€73 million) in the development of our retail chain.”
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Kevin Duggan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
