SPAR France operates 866 SPAR stores, 86 of which are located in remote mountain locations. During the winter months these mountainous SPAR stores see a lot of traffic from tourists who recognise the familiar SPAR Brand. To target this particular group of customers, a SPAR France team in Tignes-le-lac ran a special ski resort promotion this past winter.

The inspired brand-building promotion

The SPAR team set up camp on the slopes of the towering Alps, offering child-friendly entertainment that provided parents with some moments of rest. A large area, alongside a SPAR-run hot chocolate stand, was reserved for a big SPAR branded inflatable slide, where groups of children could happily play while their parents relaxed on SPAR branded deckchairs after a busy session on the slopes. Establishing personal and friendly contact with the hoards of holiday-makers, the busy SPAR entertainment and relaxation area created excellent brand awareness for SPAR.

Situated just 200m from the actual SPAR store, the promotion area drove a lot of traffic to the supermarket. Staff at the SPAR stand also ran a Scratch & Win competition with prizes available for collection in the SPAR store. More often than not, those who visited the store to collect their prizes took the opportunity to do some shopping at the same time.

“I come from the UK where we also have SPAR stores so I’m familiar with the brand. It’s nice to see a store I know from home here in Tignes,” said a visitor to the area.

Speaking about the promotion, Cyril Ferry, SPAR Sales Director for the Chambéry Nord area said: “This kind of activity has been set up to build awareness of the SPAR Brand at ski stations and to communicate a friendly and welcoming image to our customers. We have noticed that our ski resort stores are visited by a large number of foreign customers, especially from Northern Europe, where the brand is strongly present. This allows us to target an already existing SPAR customer base.”

SPAR stores in the French Alps, like all SPAR France stores, are run by a network of independent retailers. Almost all SPAR stores in ski resorts are open seven days a week and have long opening hours during peak season, providing a great convenience offer for tourists and seasonal workers.