The Croatian arm of Spar has launched Vrtovi Hrvatske, a new private-label line intended to promote 100% locally sourced products.
Thirty small and medium-sized domestic suppliers are involved in the project, and Spar Hrvatska plans to include as many family farms as possible in this new product line.
Fruit and vegetables in the range, for example, are sourced from the regions surrounding Virovitica, Vinkovci, Bjelovar, Čazme, Varaždin, Zagreb and Zadar, as well as the Neretva and Vrgorac valleys.
Export Channel
Spar has recently become a significant export channel for Croatian producers to EU countries, especially Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and Italy. The total export of Croatian products to countries in which Spar operates reached €63 million last year, while the largest increase in exports was to Italy (+75%).
Croatian producers such as Podravka, Agrofin, Franck, Vimi and Zarja, among other major producers, as well as many small producers, export their products via Spar's channels.
Last year, for example, Vimi saw a 34% growth in exports of cosmetics to Austria, Zarja increased fruit exports to Slovenia by 84%, and Agrofin boosted oil exports to Italy by 55%.
In 2017, Spar invested more than €50 million in Croatia, in order to expand its footprint in the Balkan country.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
