This year, SPAR celebrates its 85th anniversary. In the Netherlands, where the brand was founded back in 1932, this is being celebrated with a new brand building campaign and a new e-commerce platform.

At a store level, the campaign is being carried out with an updated look-and-feel for the SPAR Neighbourhood, SPAR City and SPAR Express store formats, and is summed up with a new slogan: “You can find it at SPAR”, which focuses on the shopping missions of customers seeking different meal solutions at different times of the day.

In recent years, SPAR Netherlands has seen a steep increase in online shopping with over 130 online stores now in operation across the country. Keeping things fresh and on-trend, its new e-commerce platform, which has an updated design, is faster and more user-friendly. The platform’s product range matches the assortment at store level and with additional product information and many delicious recipes, it is now easier for customers to order their groceries online.

A big focus of the new platform is convenience. Customers can easily re-order their groceries by using the shopping list function or simply adding a previous order to their online basket with a single click. In addition, it is now possible to add several delivery addresses to one account – a useful feature for healthcare centres and businesses.

In line with the growing consumer demand for “everyday convenience”, SPAR has introduced a range of services such as delivery right to your kitchen, same day delivery (if ordered before 10 a.m.), and the option of having a regular delivery person to foster a feeling of trust. Online orders are processed by the local store chosen by the customer. This direct link guarantees personal contact, even when ordering online. Later this year, SPAR Netherlands plans to roll out a sandwich ordering service and an online payment facility (iDeal online banking).

A further development by the business has been the introduction of Longer and Heavier Vehicles (LHVs) to help expand its delivery area. The new vehicles can carry more cargo and reach further distances more efficiently. Another big advantage of the LHVs is that they use about 30% less fuel than traditional, Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) – resulting in less CO2 emissions. In keeping with the new brand-building campaign, the new LHVs are branded with the new style SPAR communications.