The sales of Croatian products within the SPAR sales network in Austria, Italy, Hungary and Slovenia amounted to €82 million – up by 20%, year on year, from €66.7 million last year.
The biggest increase was in the Slovenian market, where sales revenue in the first six months of 2023 amounted to €64 million, compared to €52 million in the same period in 2022, the retailer noted.
In addition to exporting its own brands, SPAR Croatia is also supporting local producers to export directly to SPAR Slovenia.
This has resulted in the direct export of 43 products from Croatia to SPAR stores in Slovenia, including those from producers such as Zigante Tartufi, Vindija, ZMH Horvat and Al Ponte.
Promoting Croatian Products
SPAR Croatia has been promoting Croatian food companies and exporting their products to other affiliated markets for many years. In 2023, it started exporting Croatian brands to its affiliated retail network in Austria, which has over 1,500 stores.
The first products to be exported include SPAR zagorski mlinci, SPAR ajvar, S-Budget ajvar, S-Budget biscuits, and SPAR baking soda. These products were developed in cooperation with Croatian manufacturers.
According to the retailer, quality is the main reason behind the success of Croatian products in foreign markets.
Sugar Reduction Initiative
In August, the retailer announced that it was reducing the sugar content in its own-brand products, in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The retailer has so far managed to significantly reduce the amount of sugar in 36 SKUs produced for the SPAR brand by Croatian manufacturers.
The inspiration comes from a similar initiative by SPAR in Austria, which received support from the medical profession, as well as Austrian producers of well-known brands, such as Berglandmilch, which reduced the amount of sugar in its products.
