The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has proclaimed February 22 Supermarket Employee Day – a time to recognise food industry employees at every level for the work they do feeding families and enriching lives.

At the heart of everything we do in SPAR are our people. Today, we recognise three of the heroes in our global network. The first person, Pia Jehli, is a successful SPAR Express store manager in Zürich, Switzerland. Pia is involved in all areas of running the store and is a team player. The team sees Pia as a role model, colleague, and motivator, not only as the store manager. This store was awarded ‘SPAR Switzerland Supermarket of the Year’ two years in a row, thanks to Pia’s ongoing dedication and great cooperation with the team.

Another colleague who is a source of inspiration for his team is Armend Gashi, a stock receiver in a SPAR Supermarket. During his career with SPAR Kosovo, Armend has embraced change, always being committed to ensuring customers have a great shopping experience. New team members are motivated by his work ethic and receive on-the-job training.

A drive to improve shopper experience also led Prem Kumar, a butcher working in a SPAR Hypermarket in India, to improve the way product information is shared directly with customers. By utilising his knowledge of the range available, and learning customer preferences, Prem was able to not only grow departmental sales but also to raise the customer satisfaction score.

Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges and uncertainty across the globe. It has also highlighted the resilience and real sense of solidarity and collaboration that lie at the heart of the global SPAR network.

We thank all SPAR retail colleagues, working in 13,500 stores in 48 countries, for their exemplary dedication to serving our customers and playing a pivotal role in their communities throughout this time.

Developing people

Through the series of articles published this week, we highlight SPAR colleagues’ commitment and dedication, enjoying the diverse world of retail. Our focus on people includes investing in the development of our team members, providing a working experience that attracts the right talent for our business. Read more about our people and career opportunities in SPAR by clicking here.