SPAR International has reported strong growth in sales for 2011. The results continue a three-year cycle of outstanding sales growth for the group. Total sales rose 4.6 per cent to €31.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2011.
“Consumers are making less shopping trips and prefer to shop nearer to home, and we have met this trend with moves into convenience retailing in city centre and petrol forecourt stores in a number of SPAR countries,” said Gordon Campbell, MD of SPAR International. “We are responding to consumer needs with our multi-format retail strategy, which meets all shopping missions from full weekly shopping for the family to stock up, to daily fresh products to express shopping for convenience items and food to go.”
Strong performance was recorded in established markets such as South Africa (sales increased by 8 per cent), Italy (+6.2 per cent) and Austria (+6.2 per cent). Meanwhile, sales in the Chinese market rose by 70 per cent while Russia recorded a sales increase of 22 per cent. (23 May)
© 2012 ESM: European Supermarket Magazine
